Why Only Men are Allowed on the Universal House of Justice

The fact that there are only men on the House of Justice whilst the principle of equality of men and women is fully established in the Writings sheds apparent controversy. Apparent. It only seems thus at the surface. Let's dig in deeper. Here is my grain of salt on the reason. I'm not an authority and just share an intuitive point of view on the Law of God's decree.

Let's start with a quotation:

"The House of Justice, however according to the explicit text of the Law of God, is confined to men. This is a wisdom which will erelong be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon."

- Abdu'l-Bahá

Three decades ago, I assisted to a talk by William S. Hatcher, the Bahá'í philosopher, on the subject. He said that men aren't ready. I wonder if a portion of women are in the same boat? The traditional women in the kitchen and men at work still prevalent today in many parts of the world. Ruhiyyih Khanum once said that men are destined to be servants and as a "punishment" are relegated to be on the House. For their tyrannical past. Indeed authority is characterized in the Faith by humility, servitude, lowlessness. Women don't have to be humble.

"The woman is indeed of greater importance to the race. She has the greater burden and the greater work. [...] the woman has greater moral courage than the man: she has also special gifts which enables her to govern in moments of danger and crisis."

- The Master

Let's delve into Hatcher's paradigm.

In the beginning of the successorship of the Manifestation of God, we're dealing with primogeniture: male descendants take the relay, the Master and the Guardian. Even though Shoghi Effendi's wife wrote in the Priceless Pearl that it's not necessarily the case here, it's what happened before the inception of the House of Justice. In reality, the House is their successor and they were men.

But above all, many societies are high in machismo.

"The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly."

- The Master

This is not to show that men are better in governance, full equality has not been achieved, still old mentalities prevail till our epoque. Equality isn't implanted in the world's conscience to a full degree if one takes a look at so many male dominated countries. (Regions that I won't name here.)

"Know thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Bahá, women are accounted the same as men, and God hath created all humanity in His own image and after His own likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the most favored, whether man or woman. How many a handmaiden, ardent and devoted, hath, within the sheltering shade of Bahá, proved superior to the man, and surpassed the famous of the earth."

- The Master

The Faith encompasses the whole world and progressiveness hasn't reached its entire capacity. After all, we haven't witness a time when a woman president in the United States rules at the Oval Office, one of the most advanced nations in modernity, if not the most. The American voters preferred Trump to Harris even though women comprise a little more the half the population. It's to say that a portion of women didn't even vote for a woman. Most governments are still "owned" by men even though women's emancipation has gone a long way since Tahirih and the suffragettes. Still a ways to go! In a society as free as Canada, where equality betwixt the sexes is probed vehemently, woman sometimes don't get the same salary as men. You can imagine Iran or Afghanistan...

My take is that, in a world still predominantly male geared, it would be wiser to keep men on the House of Justice or a portion of testestorened males wouldn't take the Institution seriously if women were on it. Men with power. To change mentalities in such a way, to uproot millennium of ingrained sexism, it's easier to slice the sky in two. (With the exception of some American native tribes were women govern before the arrival of the Europeans.)

It's indeed a challenging task and it will take centuries before the male psyche, for a part at least, accept women as authority in the domain of governance. I'm meaning overall, there has been exceptions, and still are: like Benazir Bhutto, the first woman elected to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country. But we have yet to see more.

1963, the birth of the International Institution. A flame was kindled that year in the arts, technology, science, literature, etc. But machismo was still a reality in many parts of society, even more than today.

Let's look at this through another angle, is the glass half empty or half full? Women can serve on the Local, National Assemblies, be Hands of the Cause, Counselors, Auxiliary board members and assistants, etc, much more place than the minimal role of women in other Abrahamic religions. I believe that we're in a transition and perhaps women will be allowed to be elected on the House during the coming of the Next Manifestation of God

He only knows. Logical. We're in a transition not to shock a portion, not negligible, of men and women. Maybe especially men. A great slice of the pie of the world is not ready to see the successorship of the Master and Guardian in the hands of women. If you ask a progressive man if he accepts women on the House, no problem, he'll say. Yet still there remain regions were men and some women wouldn't agree and wouldn't abide by its bidding, who would mock and not obey the Institution. Not to create too much confusion and disorder, knowing full well that women, intrinsically, are perfectly capable of spiritual and administrative governance. Well nigh, even superior, they have a stronger sense of religion than man.

"The day is coming when women will show their superiority to man"

- The Master

Conclusion:

It might make the limbs of too many men, and perhaps some women, stooped in age old traditions of male dominance, to quake if women where allowed to be on the Universal House of Justice. A portion. Isn't ready. Not to create too much a commotion and to keep the world united as one family, the Law of God is wise. To answer an ardent feminist (which is not my intention necessarily) one must take into account the entire world community, and some are just plain backwards. Better reassure a portion, not a small one, and keep men on the House. Future: women elected at the coming of the Next Messenger ? God knows. This is a period of transition, springtime in April, there are still signs of cold snow on the ground...

I hope this can clarify modestly the issue.