Promises About the Equality of Women and Men

In the mid-1800’s, in the middle of Iran, Baha’u’llah taught that man and woman are equal. Abdu’l-Baha explains:

“Baha’u’llah declares the absolute equality of the sexes. The male and female in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms share alike the material bestowals. Why should there be a difference in the human kingdom? Verily, they are equal before God, for so he created them. Why should woman be deprived of exercising the fullest opportunities offered by life? Whosoever serves humanity most is nearest God — for God is no respecter of gender.” ((Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 82-83))

Although equality may not be evident in many parts of the world yet, this statement is definitely gaining momentum. 

My grandmother’s generation was at the tail end of the efforts to give women the right to vote. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right, and the campaign was not easy. Some of them were clubbed, beaten and tortured and others were even arrested.

My mother’s generation saw women burning their bras in a stand for women’s rights at a Miss America Beauty Pageant. They wanted to show how all women were hurt by beauty competitions.They argued that the contest declared that the most important thing about a woman is how she looks by parading women around like “cattle” at an auction. They also threw things such as bras, girdles, curlers, tweezers, high heels, etc. into trashcans to be burned.

My generation was taught that women could have it all. We could be “super women”. The preview issue of Ms. Magazine in the spring of 1972 influenced my generation with a cover of a pregnant woman in a yoga pose, representing the Hindu goddess Kali. She was standing on one leg, balancing eight arms like an octopus, each arm held items such as a phone, a clock, a torch, a frying pan, an iron, a rake, a steering wheel and a typewriter. It was meant to show that women could juggle many different facets of life, all at the same time. Because of this influence, I tried balancing a full-time job, a part time Master’s Degree, while starting an agency for the blind from scratch while breast-feeding a newborn. I ignored my marriage because I believed I would live “happily ever after” and I ignored any self-care. Good idea in theory but not in practice. 

My son’s generation saw men baffled by women’s attempts to become independent, no longer confident about their role in society. There was a widening gap between men and women, and the divorce rate rose.

My grandson’s generation (if I had one) has had to deal with the COVID pandemic, which has brought many women back into the home, where they were expected to juggle child-care and online education for their children, all while trying to keep up with housework and working at their jobs from home, side by side with their husbands. This has led to a lot of increased tension, addictions, mental health breakdowns and divorce. 

So a lot of progress has been made and we still have a long way to go, and both things are true. Sometimes it’s easy to lose hope and to even see society regressing in some areas but sometimes I take hope in the fact that the equality of women and men and the role of women and men, in the context of a Baha’i marriage and family, are multifaceted concepts that we are only beginning to understand. In the recent March 2025 letter from the Universal House of Justice about marriage and family life, it writes:

“In the Baha’i family, the married couple are true partners; one is not subordinated to the other. Together they navigate life’s challenges—whether spiritual, material, or social—through prayer, study, consultation, and reflection on action. Consider, for example, decisions pertaining to the education of children. The Baha’i Writings acknowledge the mother as the first educator of the child and uphold her prerogatives in this regard. As Abdu’l-Baha observes, “truly it is the mothers who determine the happiness, the future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgement, the understanding and the faith of their little ones.” Yet, the father also bears responsibility for their education and upbringing, and cannot abdicate such a vital duty and leave it to the mother alone. And while, to support the mother in this role and ensure she is not disadvantaged by it, the father bears a corollary obligation to support the family financially, this does not mean roles are inflexibly fixed. Based on their understanding of the Teachings, the couple determine the best way to manage the family’s affairs in response to different personal and social circumstances. Each stage of married life will present corresponding challenges and opportunities a couple must strive to manage, cooperatively and effectively, while ensuring both the wife and husband’s spiritual, intellectual, and professional progress.”¹

On a broader scope, I also take hope in these promises, taken from taken from a compilation by the Universal House of Justice dated January 1986 entitled Women – Equality and Development:

• Women will become the peers of men.
• Women will abolish warfare among mankind; women will be the greatest factor in establishing universal peace and international arbitration.
• Universal peace is impossible without universal suffrage.
• Every influential undertaking of the human world wherein woman has been a participant has attained importance.
• Until we (attain equality) social and political progress here or anywhere will not be possible.

In addition, this is such a wonderfully encouraging promise for women:

“O loved handmaidens of God! Consider not your present merits and capacities, rather fix your gaze on the favours and confirmations of the Blessed Beauty, because His everlasting grace will make of the insignificant plant a blessed tree, will turn the mirage into cool water and wine; will cause the foresaken atom to become the very essence of being; the puny one erudite in the school of knowledge. It enableth a thorny bush to give forth blossoms, and the dark earth to produce fragrant and rich hyacinths. It will transmute the stone into a ruby of great price, and fill the sea shells with brilliant pearls. It will assist a fledgling school child to become a learned teacher and enable a frail embryo to reveal the reality of the verse: ‘Hallowed by the Lord, the Most Excellent of all creators.’ Verily, My Lord is powerful over things.” ((Compilation on Women, #99))

Equality is a prerequisite for the oneness of humanity, Abdu’l-Baha explains:

“Until these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot be established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a reality. God willing, this is to be so.” ((Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 77))

When we have equality, there will be no more war:

“Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it. Mothers will not give their sons as sacrifices upon the battlefield after twenty years of anxiety and loving devotion in rearing them from infancy, no matter what cause they are called upon to defend. There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind.”²

O God, hasten the day!

We have every reason to be hopeful. We know the road will be long and stony. We know there will be lots of gains and lots of setbacks. We know that with every crisis comes many victories. Baha’u’llah’s promises are being and will continue to be fulfilled as humanity works for the equality of men and women, and knowing that, I am grateful! 

1. The Universal House of Justice, 19 March 2025 letter on marriage and family life [↩]
2. Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace [↩]

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Susan Gammage

Susan Gammage, MES, Certified Life Coach, author, educator and researcher, maintains an active Baha'i-inspired life coaching practice, which focuses on applying Baha'i principles to day-to-day situations. She is the author of "Violence and Abuse: Reasons and Remedies", a compilation of quotes from the Baha'i Writings and is currently working on several other books including a Baha'i Perspective on "Overcoming Anxiety and Depression"; "The Courage to be Chaste in a Sexual World"; the "Baha'i Marriage Manual" and "The Spiritual Roots of Disease". Visit her Bookstore; get your Free E-Books ; sign up for her Newsletter; and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.