and supervisor who, though engaged in serious task requiring sagacity, practice, willpower, and enough experience in this life, must govern his family member with well management and secure means of acceptable livelihood.
Now, which one is the worthiest of supervising and maintaining the family? Is it man or woman?
Owing to his qualifications, man is more experienced in the life affairs, more competent of supervising the family morally and materially, and more capable of achieving means of good living than woman is. This matter has been decided by the eternal constitution of Islam:
"Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property. (4:34)"
Maintenance, however, does not mean absolute dominance and policies of severity and violence against the family members, since such practices are in violence of the ethics of Islam. The true maintenance relies upon mutual understanding, cooperation, and emotional and intellectual consent between the paterfamilias and his family members:
"Women have benefits as well as responsibilities. Men have a status above women. (2:228)"
In view of her femininity, woman is tenderhearted, sensitive, and touchy. Frequently, women's emotions prevail on their minds. All these matters qualify her to fulfill the mission of maternity whose functions require such feelings, and take her way from the leadership of family that requires sagacity, emotional balance, tolerance, and firmness. All these traits are found with man; therefore, he is more qualified than woman is in fields of maintaining the family.
Finally, positive woman usually disrespects the inactive, feeble husband and honors the husband of great and attractive personality.