Creating men with "a degree over" women (Quran 2:228), Allah makes clear that wives must obey their husbands (Quran 4:34) since Allah has favored men more than women: "Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance - advise them, forsake them in bed, and strike them..."(Quran 4:34).
In contrast, the philosopher John Stuart Mill strongly favored equality in marriage, believing it vital not just for marriage, but also for advancing morality throughout society:
"The moral regeneration of mankind will only really commence, when the most fundamental of the social relations [marriage] is placed under the rule of equal justice, and when human beings learn to cultivate their strongest sympathy with an equal in rights and in cultivation." (emphasis added).
Our Debate Question: What shall be best for humanity in the years ahead, equality or inequality between husbands & wives, equality or inequality between men & women?
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