Perhaps the most distinctive element of the Bahá’í approach to the issue of equality is the conviction that change must be a unifying force, leading towards full partnership of men and women - and beyond this towards the unity of human family.

“The world of humanity has two wings – one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.”

Bahá’ís see the need to involve men in recognizing and promoting the issue of equality. What benefits will accrue either to men or to women if only women see the need for equality? How can the sexes advance harmoniously and unitedly unless both become aware of this essential principle?

Women and men have to put in a united effort in order to bring about enduring changes effectively and to fundamentally alter the attitudes of both men and women. Gender focused activities for women only, will result in conflict between men and women and therefore will be detrimental to community life rather than beneficial, since they may polarize the sexes rather than improving relationships between them. Problems facing women cannot be resolved unless men are also educated to value women as equal partners.

If the first distinctive element of the Bahá’í approach to the advancement of women is the insistence that the process be a unifying force, the second is its emphasis on equilibrium and harmony.

“The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.”

Laws and ordinances woven into the fabric of the Bahá’í social order facilitate the integration of women in all aspects of social life and the Bahá’í administrative system promotes practical steps leading to a society where equality will be the norm. “Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study thereby promoting the unity of the sexes.”

“…imbued with the same virtues as man, rising through all the degrees of human attainment, women will become the peers of men, and until this equality is established, true progress and attainment for the human race will not be facilitated.” It is obvious that realizing this goal of unity, rather than hegemony in male female relationships, will radically alter the social life of human family.

 If the parents do not have enough funds to send all their children to school, Bahá’í writings advise that the education of girls take precedence over the education of boys, “The decision making agencies involved would do well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society.” Society cannot progress as long as mothers stay in a state of ignorance.

Note: Selections in Quotes from the Bahá'í Writings