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The published record · evidence collection
Women
What the publications have said about women's standing and capabilities, what they say now, and what they tell a woman whose husband is violent. The current counsel comes first, because a reader may need it today.
Last reviewed 20 September 2026
If you are in danger now. Nothing on this page is advice for your situation, and you do not have to read any of it. In an emergency call your local emergency number. In the UK, the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247, free and confidential. Other services, by country, are listed on our help page, and the privacy page explains how to leave this site without a trace.
The organisation’s own current article for victims says: “Your abuser is responsible for his actions.” It tells others not to judge a woman’s decisions for her. We agree, and neither does this page. Source: JW.org (More Topics series)
What the publications say now
The most recent material is markedly different from the older material, and it belongs at the top rather than at the end.
In January 2024 The Watchtower published that God 'did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women' and 'created men and women with the same mental capacity', and told men to examine themselves for prejudice against women, naming demeaning jokes and the assumption that men are superior. It also states that a wife is not 'inferior—less intelligent or capable—than a man'. Source: The Watchtower (study edition), January 2024
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The article is the organisation speaking in its own current voice and addressing men directly: it tells them to examine themselves for prejudice against women and names demeaning jokes and the assumption that men are superior.
January 2024 · pp.15-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“He did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women; nor does he prefer men to women. (2 Chron. 19:7) He created men and women with the same mental capacity to grasp Bible truths and to reflect his beautiful qualities.”
A study article addressed to men. It opens by saying that some men were raised in cultures that treat women as inferior, and that other men ‘show their prejudice against women in less obvious ways’, for example by telling demeaning jokes about women. It tells elders to commend women, to listen to them and to train them, and closes by quoting an elder in Scotland named Benjamin. The magazine prints his two sentences with its own attribution standing between them, and they are given here as printed: ‘The world’s view of women can be very demeaning,’ says an elder in Scotland named Benjamin. ‘So when women walk into a Kingdom Hall, we want them to feel the difference.’
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Do You Treat Women as Jehovah Does?
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted sentences fall after the library's page marker for page 16. The citation line inside the document reads 'w24 January pp. 15-18'.
Notes. On p. 17 the article asks whether 1 Peter 3:7 ('a weaker vessel') means a wife is 'inferior—less intelligent or capable—than a man' and answers 'By no means!' This is the organisation's current published position on women's capabilities.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2024-0100-treat-women
The 2008 book Keep Yourselves in God's Love explains the head covering by saying that the angels 'may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority', and holds this up as 'a fine example for the angels to observe'. Source: "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), 2008
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation presents the arrangement as symbolic rather than a judgment about ability, and in January 2024 published that God created men and women 'with the same mental capacity'.
2008 · pp.209-212 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
The appendix sets out when a woman must cover her head: when she prays or teaches in her husband's presence, when she prays or teaches in the presence of a baptized minor son, and when she handles a duty in the congregation normally performed by a baptized man. It gives two reasons — that the covering is 'a sign of authority' and that it is worn 'because of the angels'.
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library’s page marker for page 210. They are consecutive in the appendix: the ellipsis between them stands only for the scripture citation ‘(1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 13:17)’ printed between them, and no words of the text are omitted. The citation line inside the document reads ‘lv p. 209-p. 211 par. 2’.
Notes. The appendix also states: ‘the angels may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority.’ That sentence begins on p. 211 and its closing words fall on p. 212. A footnote on p. 211 adds: ‘A Christian wife would not normally pray aloud in the presence of her believing husband except in unusual circumstances, such as if he has been rendered mute by an illness.’ A 2017 book, How to Remain in God’s Love, replaced this volume and carries an appendix of the same title; that later edition’s page could not be opened in the online library and is not cited here.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-head-coverings
This is the part of the subject that matters most to a reader who may be living it. The organisation’s current stand-alone article for victims is quoted first and in full, because it is the counsel a Witness woman would be given today.
The organisation's current stand-alone article for victims of domestic abuse states that the abuser is responsible for his own actions, points the reader to a trusted friend, a domestic violence hotline and emergency services, describes developing a safety plan, and tells anyone helping a victim to build up her confidence in making her own decisions and not to tell her what to do. It does not discuss submission, separation or winning an unbelieving husband over. Source: JW.org (More Topics series)Source: The Watchtower (study edition), January 2025
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The January 2025 Watchtower, addressed to husbands, acknowledges that some Witness husbands 'have even abused their wife' and sets out six steps for an abusive husband, the fifth of which is to seek help from the congregation elders. That article does not mention reporting to the civil authorities.
· Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Hotlines for victims of domestic violence may offer immediate support. Those who work these hotlines can help you develop a safety plan. . . . Other emergency resources can help you if you are in immediate danger. These resources may include doctors, nurses, or other trained professionals.”
The organisation's current stand-alone article for victims. It opens with World Health Organization and United Nations figures, states plainly that 'Your abuser is responsible for his actions', lists a trusted friend, a domestic violence hotline and emergency services as sources of help, and tells anyone supporting a victim to 'build up her confidence in her ability to make her own decisions . . . But do not tell her what she should do.'
Provenance and verification note for JW.org (More Topics series), Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse—You Are Not Alone
Confidence note. The article was read in full on the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 (cited there as 'mrt article 16') and the jw.org page was opened separately to confirm the public address and the opening paragraphs. The page carries no publication date, so none is recorded.
Notes. The article does not discuss separation, divorce, submission, or winning an unbelieving husband over, and it does not mention the congregation or its elders at all. A footnote states that it refers to the victim as female but that many of the points apply to male victims.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-jw-mrt-help-domestic-abuse
January 2025 · pp.8-13 · pars. 4, 6, 14 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Sadly, some of them have been influenced by the thinking of the world and have even abused their wife.”
A study article addressed to husbands. It names physical abuse, verbal abuse, pornography and sexually demeaning treatment as conduct that dishonours a wife, says that Jehovah 'specifically condemns husbands who abuse their wife' and that such a husband's prayers may not be heard, and sets out six steps for a husband who has abused his wife.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Husbands, Honor Your Wife
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted sentence is in paragraph 4, after the library's page marker for page 9. The six steps are in paragraph 14, after the marker for page 11. The citation line inside the document reads 'w25 January pp. 8-13'.
Notes. The fifth of the six steps for an abusive husband is that 'he seeks immediate help from loving shepherds in the congregation'; the article does not mention reporting to civil authorities. A footnote directs victims to the jw.org article 'Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse'.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2025-0100-husbands-honor-wife
Organisation's explanation · 8 November 2001Verified
Awake! of 8 November 2001 stated that the Bible ‘does not oblige a battered wife to stay with a man who jeopardizes her health and perhaps her very life’, that what she does ‘is a personal decision’, and that ‘no one should coax a wife to leave her husband, but neither should anyone pressure a battered woman to stay with an abusive man when her health, life, and spirituality are threatened’. It also said some women ‘may need to seek assistance from the authorities’. In the same paragraph it quotes 1 Corinthians 7:11 to the effect that a wife who departs must ‘remain unmarried or else make up again with her husband’. Source: Awake!, 8 November 2001
8 November 2001 · pp.8-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Should the battered wife leave her husband? The Bible does not treat marital separation lightly. At the same time, it does not oblige a battered wife to stay with a man who jeopardizes her health and perhaps her very life. The Christian apostle Paul wrote: “If she should actually depart, let her remain unmarried or else make up again with her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16) Since the Bible does not forbid separation in extreme circumstances, what a woman does in this matter is a personal decision. (Galatians 6:5) No one should coax a wife to leave her husband, but neither should anyone pressure a battered woman to stay with an abusive man when her health, life, and spirituality are threatened.”
The article is one of a series on violence against women. It describes coercive control and financial control, tells readers to listen with compassion, says on p. 9 that some battered women ‘may need to seek assistance from the authorities’, and states that a man who mistreats his wife ‘does not qualify for special privileges in the Christian congregation’ and may be disfellowshipped. The paragraph is quoted whole, including the sentence restricting remarriage, because that restriction is the material point for a reader deciding what to do.
Provenance and verification note for Awake!, Help for Battered Women
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted paragraph falls after the library’s page marker for page 12, and the ‘assistance from the authorities’ sentence after the marker for page 9. The citation code inside the document reads ‘g01 11/8 pp. 8-12’.
Notes. A boxed section headed 'Correcting Misconceptions' rebuts the ideas that a battered wife is responsible for her husband's actions, that alcohol causes battering, and that women do not object to being mistreated, quoting outside works on domestic violence.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-g-2001-1108-help-battered-women
Alongside it, study articles in the same period have encouraged wives to endure difficult marriages, in language that a woman in an abusive marriage might reasonably read as counsel to stay. Both are the organisation’s own published words, from the same decade, and a reader can weigh them together.
A February 2012 study article told wives that 'a wife may be able to win her husband over to true worship by being in subjection and showing deep respect for him, even if he treats her harshly', and illustrated the point with a woman whose husband had hit her the night before a Bible study and who concluded, after her teacher asked how many acts of love she showed him, that she 'needed to adjust my thinking'. The account ends with the husband becoming a Witness seventeen years later. Source: The Watchtower, 15 February 2012Source: Awake!, 8 November 2001Source: "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), 2008
The organisation’s position or later explanation: A footnote to paragraph 8 of the same article states that ‘Paul’s counsel does not rule out legal separation in extreme situations’, calls it ‘a serious personal decision’ and refers the reader to the separation appendix of Keep Yourselves in God’s Love. The organisation’s fuller counsel, in Awake! of 8 November 2001, states that a battered wife is not obliged to stay with a man who jeopardises her health or life, and that no one should pressure her to stay.
15 February 2012 · pp.26-30 · pars. 10-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“A wife may be able to win her husband over to true worship by being in subjection and showing deep respect for him, even if he treats her harshly.”
A study article on households where only one partner is a Witness. The sentence applies 1 Peter 3:1, 2, and the sentence immediately after it applies the same counsel the other way: ‘Likewise, a believing husband should conduct himself in a godly way and be a loving head of the household despite any opposition he may encounter from his unbelieving wife.’ Paragraphs 11 and 12 then give the account of a woman named Selma who says that the night before a Bible study ‘Steve had hit me as I had tried to prove a point’; the Witness studying with her asked ‘How many of those acts of love do you show toward your husband?’, and Selma concluded that she ‘needed to adjust my thinking’. The magazine closes the account: ‘After 17 years, Steve accepted the truth.’
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Happiness Is Possible in a Divided Household
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. Paragraph 10, which carries the quoted sentence, falls after the library’s page marker for page 29, as do paragraphs 11 and 12, which carry the account. Paragraph 8, which carries the separation footnote, falls after the marker for page 28. The citation line inside the document reads ‘w12 2/15 pp. 26-30’.
Notes. A footnote to paragraph 8, printed on p. 28, reads: ‘Paul’s counsel does not rule out legal separation in extreme situations. That is a serious personal decision. See “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love,” pages 220-221.’ That is the article’s only reference to separation, and it is attached to a paragraph about unbelieving mates generally, not to the account of Selma. Apart from that footnote the article gives no counsel on safety or on seeking help outside the congregation.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2012-0215-divided-household
8 November 2001 · pp.8-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Should the battered wife leave her husband? The Bible does not treat marital separation lightly. At the same time, it does not oblige a battered wife to stay with a man who jeopardizes her health and perhaps her very life. The Christian apostle Paul wrote: “If she should actually depart, let her remain unmarried or else make up again with her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16) Since the Bible does not forbid separation in extreme circumstances, what a woman does in this matter is a personal decision. (Galatians 6:5) No one should coax a wife to leave her husband, but neither should anyone pressure a battered woman to stay with an abusive man when her health, life, and spirituality are threatened.”
The article is one of a series on violence against women. It describes coercive control and financial control, tells readers to listen with compassion, says on p. 9 that some battered women ‘may need to seek assistance from the authorities’, and states that a man who mistreats his wife ‘does not qualify for special privileges in the Christian congregation’ and may be disfellowshipped. The paragraph is quoted whole, including the sentence restricting remarriage, because that restriction is the material point for a reader deciding what to do.
Provenance and verification note for Awake!, Help for Battered Women
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted paragraph falls after the library’s page marker for page 12, and the ‘assistance from the authorities’ sentence after the marker for page 9. The citation code inside the document reads ‘g01 11/8 pp. 8-12’.
Notes. A boxed section headed 'Correcting Misconceptions' rebuts the ideas that a battered wife is responsible for her husband's actions, that alcohol causes battering, and that women do not object to being mistreated, quoting outside works on domestic violence.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-g-2001-1108-help-battered-women
2008 · pp.219-221 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Extreme physical abuse. An abusive spouse may act so violently that the abused mate's health and even life are in danger. If the abusive spouse is a Christian, congregation elders should investigate the charges. Fits of anger and a practice of violent behavior are grounds for disfellowshipping.”
The appendix states that sexual immorality is the only ground on which a divorce frees a person to remarry, and then lists three 'exceptional situations that some have viewed as a basis for separation': willful non-support, extreme physical abuse, and absolute endangerment of spiritual life. It adds that in such a separation the departing one must 'remain unmarried or else be reconciled with' the mate, that no one should put pressure on the person either way, and that 'if an extremely dangerous situation persists, no one should criticize a Christian who, as a last resort, chooses to separate.'
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: The Bible's View on Divorce and Separation
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The three headed situations fall under the library's page markers for pages 220 and 221; the 'Extreme physical abuse' heading is on p. 221. The citation line inside the document reads 'lv pp. 219-221'.
Notes. The appendix also warns against a wife who 'exaggerated the seriousness of her domestic problems just to live separately from her husband'. Later Watchtower articles (for example August 2016 and April 2017) refer readers back to this appendix, so it remains the published statement of the grounds.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-divorce-separation
A December 2018 study article, discussing a husband who 'might be extremely physically abusive, even to the point that she feels that her health or life is in danger', said that some Christians in that position have decided a separation is necessary but that 'other Christians in comparably difficult situations have not; they have endured and tried to work at improving matters'. The following paragraph gives the reason for staying and adds that those who remained 'can testify that doing so was worthwhile in a special sense when their mate became a true worshipper'. Source: The Watchtower (study edition), December 2018
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The same body of teaching states that separation in such a case is a personal decision on which no one should exert pressure, and that a violent man may be expelled from the congregation.
December 2018 · pp.10-14 · pars. 17-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“He might be extremely physically abusive, even to the point that she feels that her health or life is in danger. He might refuse to support her and the family or severely endanger her spirituality. In such cases, some Christians have personally decided that, despite what he might say, the mate is not “agreeable to staying” together and that a separation is necessary. But other Christians in comparably difficult situations have not; they have endured and tried to work at improving matters.”
A study article on divorce and separation. It states that sexual immorality is the only ground on which a divorce frees a person to remarry, and then turns to separation where a husband is an unbeliever. The paragraph after the one quoted gives the reason for staying: 'Many loyal Christians have remained with an unbelieving mate under very trying circumstances. They can testify that doing so was worthwhile in a special sense when their mate became a true worshipper.'
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Honor "What God Has Yoked Together"
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; paragraphs 17 and 18 fall after the library's page marker for page 14. The citation line inside the document reads 'w18 December pp. 10-14'.
Notes. Two details in the version of this article that circulates on secondary sites do not match the published text. The sentences 'What of her material and sexual needs? What about loneliness? Are there children to consider? Would a divorce make it harder to raise them in the truth?' are on p. 13 in paragraph 11, not on p. 12, and in the article they describe an innocent wife who has scriptural grounds to divorce an immoral husband and chooses not to, not a wife deciding whether to leave a violent husband — although paragraph 18 does refer back to them as 'challenges, as mentioned earlier'. The published text also reads 'tried to work at improving matters', not 'tried to work on improving matters'.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2018-1200-honor-yoked
The organisation's published position is that sexual immorality is the only ground for a divorce that frees a person to remarry, and that violence is not such a ground. It lists three 'exceptional situations' in which a Christian may decide to separate — willful non-support, extreme physical abuse, and absolute endangerment of spiritual life — and states that a person who separates on those grounds must 'remain unmarried or else be reconciled with' the other. Source: "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), 2008Source: The Watchtower (study edition), December 2018
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation states that the decision belongs to the person concerned: 'no one should put pressure on the innocent mate either to separate or to stay with the other', and 'if an extremely dangerous situation persists, no one should criticize a Christian who, as a last resort, chooses to separate.' It also states that violent behaviour is itself grounds for expulsion from the congregation.
2008 · pp.219-221 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Extreme physical abuse. An abusive spouse may act so violently that the abused mate's health and even life are in danger. If the abusive spouse is a Christian, congregation elders should investigate the charges. Fits of anger and a practice of violent behavior are grounds for disfellowshipping.”
The appendix states that sexual immorality is the only ground on which a divorce frees a person to remarry, and then lists three 'exceptional situations that some have viewed as a basis for separation': willful non-support, extreme physical abuse, and absolute endangerment of spiritual life. It adds that in such a separation the departing one must 'remain unmarried or else be reconciled with' the mate, that no one should put pressure on the person either way, and that 'if an extremely dangerous situation persists, no one should criticize a Christian who, as a last resort, chooses to separate.'
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: The Bible's View on Divorce and Separation
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The three headed situations fall under the library's page markers for pages 220 and 221; the 'Extreme physical abuse' heading is on p. 221. The citation line inside the document reads 'lv pp. 219-221'.
Notes. The appendix also warns against a wife who 'exaggerated the seriousness of her domestic problems just to live separately from her husband'. Later Watchtower articles (for example August 2016 and April 2017) refer readers back to this appendix, so it remains the published statement of the grounds.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-divorce-separation
December 2018 · pp.10-14 · pars. 17-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“He might be extremely physically abusive, even to the point that she feels that her health or life is in danger. He might refuse to support her and the family or severely endanger her spirituality. In such cases, some Christians have personally decided that, despite what he might say, the mate is not “agreeable to staying” together and that a separation is necessary. But other Christians in comparably difficult situations have not; they have endured and tried to work at improving matters.”
A study article on divorce and separation. It states that sexual immorality is the only ground on which a divorce frees a person to remarry, and then turns to separation where a husband is an unbeliever. The paragraph after the one quoted gives the reason for staying: 'Many loyal Christians have remained with an unbelieving mate under very trying circumstances. They can testify that doing so was worthwhile in a special sense when their mate became a true worshipper.'
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Honor "What God Has Yoked Together"
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; paragraphs 17 and 18 fall after the library's page marker for page 14. The citation line inside the document reads 'w18 December pp. 10-14'.
Notes. Two details in the version of this article that circulates on secondary sites do not match the published text. The sentences 'What of her material and sexual needs? What about loneliness? Are there children to consider? Would a divorce make it harder to raise them in the truth?' are on p. 13 in paragraph 11, not on p. 12, and in the article they describe an innocent wife who has scriptural grounds to divorce an immoral husband and chooses not to, not a wife deciding whether to leave a violent husband — although paragraph 18 does refer back to them as 'challenges, as mentioned earlier'. The published text also reads 'tried to work at improving matters', not 'tried to work on improving matters'.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2018-1200-honor-yoked
'Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.' That is the published rule, and it is the rule on which the 2021 Watchtower rests its statement that Jehovah 'has appointed men to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation'. Source: "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), 2008Source: The Watchtower (study edition), February 2021
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation's stated reason is order rather than ability: men take the lead 'for the same reason that he has appointed Jesus as head of the man—to keep good order in his family'. It points to women anointed with the heavenly hope as evidence that it does not regard them as lesser.
2008 · pp.209-212 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
The appendix sets out when a woman must cover her head: when she prays or teaches in her husband's presence, when she prays or teaches in the presence of a baptized minor son, and when she handles a duty in the congregation normally performed by a baptized man. It gives two reasons — that the covering is 'a sign of authority' and that it is worn 'because of the angels'.
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library’s page marker for page 210. They are consecutive in the appendix: the ellipsis between them stands only for the scripture citation ‘(1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 13:17)’ printed between them, and no words of the text are omitted. The citation line inside the document reads ‘lv p. 209-p. 211 par. 2’.
Notes. The appendix also states: ‘the angels may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority.’ That sentence begins on p. 211 and its closing words fall on p. 212. A footnote on p. 211 adds: ‘A Christian wife would not normally pray aloud in the presence of her believing husband except in unusual circumstances, such as if he has been rendered mute by an illness.’ A 2017 book, How to Remain in God’s Love, replaced this volume and carries an appendix of the same title; that later edition’s page could not be opened in the online library and is not cited here.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-head-coverings
February 2021 · pp.14-19 · pars. 7-9, 12-13 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“It is true, however, that Jehovah has appointed men to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation, and he has not given women that same authority. (1 Tim. 2:12) Why? For the same reason that he has appointed Jesus as head of the man—to keep good order in his family. If because of circumstances a sister must fill a role that is normally cared for by a brother, then Jehovah requires that she wear a head covering.”
A study article on headship in the congregation. It first says that Jehovah values women equally, that Jesus honoured them and that Paul commended them, and states that 'there is no Scriptural basis for thinking that sisters are inferior to brothers'. It then gives the rule above, adds that 'Jehovah asks this of sisters, not to demean them, but to give them a way to show respect for the headship principle', and sets out three questions by which a woman decides whether a covering is needed.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Understanding Headship in the Congregation
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted paragraph 9 falls after the library's page marker for page 16; the sentence about no scriptural basis for inferiority is in paragraph 7, after the marker for page 15; the statement about elders acting as judges is in paragraphs 12-13, after the marker for page 18. The citation line inside the document reads 'w21 February pp. 14-19'.
Notes. The article also states, of the difference between an elder and a family head: 'Jehovah has assigned the elders to act as judges, and he has given them the responsibility of removing unrepentant sinners from the congregation.' Since elders are men only, this is the published basis on which congregational judicial decisions rest with men.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2021-0200-headship-congregation
The organisation’s position or later explanation: Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson told the Australian Royal Commission that decision-making 'is based on the headship principle... that Scripturally the men make the final decisions', while saying that two women close to a victim may take her testimony and convey it to the elders (Case Study 29 report, p. 67). The organisation's current public policy says a victim may be accompanied by 'a confidant of either gender' (par. 12).
February 2021 · pp.14-19 · pars. 7-9, 12-13 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“It is true, however, that Jehovah has appointed men to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation, and he has not given women that same authority. (1 Tim. 2:12) Why? For the same reason that he has appointed Jesus as head of the man—to keep good order in his family. If because of circumstances a sister must fill a role that is normally cared for by a brother, then Jehovah requires that she wear a head covering.”
A study article on headship in the congregation. It first says that Jehovah values women equally, that Jesus honoured them and that Paul commended them, and states that 'there is no Scriptural basis for thinking that sisters are inferior to brothers'. It then gives the rule above, adds that 'Jehovah asks this of sisters, not to demean them, but to give them a way to show respect for the headship principle', and sets out three questions by which a woman decides whether a covering is needed.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Understanding Headship in the Congregation
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted paragraph 9 falls after the library's page marker for page 16; the sentence about no scriptural basis for inferiority is in paragraph 7, after the marker for page 15; the statement about elders acting as judges is in paragraphs 12-13, after the marker for page 18. The citation line inside the document reads 'w21 February pp. 14-19'.
Notes. The article also states, of the difference between an elder and a family head: 'Jehovah has assigned the elders to act as judges, and he has given them the responsibility of removing unrepentant sinners from the congregation.' Since elders are men only, this is the published basis on which congregational judicial decisions rest with men.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2021-0200-headship-congregation
2008 · pp.209-212 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
The appendix sets out when a woman must cover her head: when she prays or teaches in her husband's presence, when she prays or teaches in the presence of a baptized minor son, and when she handles a duty in the congregation normally performed by a baptized man. It gives two reasons — that the covering is 'a sign of authority' and that it is worn 'because of the angels'.
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library’s page marker for page 210. They are consecutive in the appendix: the ellipsis between them stands only for the scripture citation ‘(1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 13:17)’ printed between them, and no words of the text are omitted. The citation line inside the document reads ‘lv p. 209-p. 211 par. 2’.
Notes. The appendix also states: ‘the angels may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority.’ That sentence begins on p. 211 and its closing words fall on p. 212. A footnote on p. 211 adds: ‘A Christian wife would not normally pray aloud in the presence of her believing husband except in unusual circumstances, such as if he has been rendered mute by an illness.’ A 2017 book, How to Remain in God’s Love, replaced this volume and carries an appendix of the same title; that later edition’s page could not be opened in the online library and is not cited here.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-head-coverings
October 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Provenance and verification note for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Confidence note. The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Scan provenance. Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes. Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
A woman must wear a head covering in the cases the publications set out: when she prays aloud or conducts a Bible study in the presence of an unbelieving husband; when she conducts such a study in the presence of a baptized minor son whose father is absent; when she handles a duty in the congregation or at a meeting for field service that would normally be performed by a baptized man; and when she conducts a prearranged home Bible study with a baptized male Witness present, because there ‘a study becomes an extension of the congregation’. The same publications list activities for which no covering is needed — giving oral or sign-language translation, reading the paragraphs aloud, taking part in demonstrations, relating experiences, handling student talks, and speaking to outsiders about the Bible in a male Witness’s presence. The published reason is that men have been appointed ‘to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation’ and women have not been given ‘that same authority’, citing 1 Timothy 2:12. Source: The Watchtower (study edition), February 2021Source: "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), 2008Source: The Watchtower, 15 July 2002Source: Our Kingdom Ministry, June 2000
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation states that the requirement is not meant to demean women: 'Jehovah asks this of sisters, not to demean them, but to give them a way to show respect for the headship principle that he has put in place.' The same 2021 article states that 'there is no Scriptural basis for thinking that sisters are inferior to brothers'.
February 2021 · pp.14-19 · pars. 7-9, 12-13 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“It is true, however, that Jehovah has appointed men to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation, and he has not given women that same authority. (1 Tim. 2:12) Why? For the same reason that he has appointed Jesus as head of the man—to keep good order in his family. If because of circumstances a sister must fill a role that is normally cared for by a brother, then Jehovah requires that she wear a head covering.”
A study article on headship in the congregation. It first says that Jehovah values women equally, that Jesus honoured them and that Paul commended them, and states that 'there is no Scriptural basis for thinking that sisters are inferior to brothers'. It then gives the rule above, adds that 'Jehovah asks this of sisters, not to demean them, but to give them a way to show respect for the headship principle', and sets out three questions by which a woman decides whether a covering is needed.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), Understanding Headship in the Congregation
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted paragraph 9 falls after the library's page marker for page 16; the sentence about no scriptural basis for inferiority is in paragraph 7, after the marker for page 15; the statement about elders acting as judges is in paragraphs 12-13, after the marker for page 18. The citation line inside the document reads 'w21 February pp. 14-19'.
Notes. The article also states, of the difference between an elder and a family head: 'Jehovah has assigned the elders to act as judges, and he has given them the responsibility of removing unrepentant sinners from the congregation.' Since elders are men only, this is the published basis on which congregational judicial decisions rest with men.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2021-0200-headship-congregation
2008 · pp.209-212 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
The appendix sets out when a woman must cover her head: when she prays or teaches in her husband's presence, when she prays or teaches in the presence of a baptized minor son, and when she handles a duty in the congregation normally performed by a baptized man. It gives two reasons — that the covering is 'a sign of authority' and that it is worn 'because of the angels'.
Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library’s page marker for page 210. They are consecutive in the appendix: the ellipsis between them stands only for the scripture citation ‘(1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 13:17)’ printed between them, and no words of the text are omitted. The citation line inside the document reads ‘lv p. 209-p. 211 par. 2’.
Notes. The appendix also states: ‘the angels may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority.’ That sentence begins on p. 211 and its closing words fall on p. 212. A footnote on p. 211 adds: ‘A Christian wife would not normally pray aloud in the presence of her believing husband except in unusual circumstances, such as if he has been rendered mute by an illness.’ A 2017 book, How to Remain in God’s Love, replaced this volume and carries an appendix of the same title; that later edition’s page could not be opened in the online library and is not cited here.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-lv-2008-head-coverings
15 July 2002 · pp.26-27 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Praying or preaching in the Christian congregation is normally the responsibility of a man. Hence, when a Christian woman cares for matters pertaining to worship that ordinarily would be performed by her husband or by a baptized man, she should wear a head covering.”
The column answers ‘In what situations is it appropriate for a Christian woman to wear a head covering for spiritual reasons?’ and works through cases: praying or conducting a family study in the presence of an unbelieving husband; conducting a study with a baptized minor son when the father is absent; handling a duty at a congregation meeting or a meeting for field service when no baptized man is present; and conducting a prearranged home Bible study when a baptized male Witness is present, because there ‘a study becomes an extension of the congregation’. It also lists cases where no covering is needed: giving oral or sign-language translation, reading the paragraphs aloud, taking part in demonstrations, relating experiences, handling student talks, and speaking to outsiders about the Bible in a male Witness’s presence.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Questions From Readers
Confidence note. The full column was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library's page marker for page 26; the passages about a baptized son and about congregation meetings fall under the marker for page 27. The citation code inside the document reads 'w02 7/15 pp. 26-27'.
Notes. On p. 27 the column states: 'if the father is absent, then the mother should wear a head covering if she conducts a Bible study with the young baptized son and the other children', and 'A sister would not pray in the presence of a dedicated brother unless there were some exceptional reason, such as the brother's having lost the physical power of speech.'
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2002-0715-qfr-head-covering
June 2000 · p.3 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Occasionally at meetings for field service, it might be necessary for a baptized sister to offer prayer if there is no qualified brother there to represent the group. She would need to wear an appropriate head covering. If it is likely that a qualified brother will not be present at certain meetings for service, the elders should assign a qualified sister to take the lead.”
The item answers the question ‘Who should offer prayer at congregation meetings?’ The rest of it concerns which baptized men qualify. The paragraph quoted above is the whole of what the item says about a woman, and is given in full rather than cut at its second sentence.
Provenance and verification note for Our Kingdom Ministry, Question Box
Confidence note. The full item was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; it sits under the library's page marker for page 3. The citation code inside the document reads 'km 6/00 p. 3'.
The exclusion of women from decisions about allegations of child sexual abuse was examined by the Australian Royal Commission, and is documented in the child safeguarding collection.
The historical record
In date order. Each entry names the publication and the kind of document it is, because a signed article, a convention report and a study article carry different weight.
In The New Creation (1904), the sixth volume of Studies in the Scriptures, Charles Taze Russell wrote that ‘in our opinion, however, some of the qualities of heart and mind which combine in the noblest types of woman, render her unsuitable for public religious services’, and that a woman who appears in public ‘as a lecturer or teacher or writer’ is in ‘a position of great danger’ because the conditions will ‘spoil her womanhood—to make her “mannish”’. He introduces the reason as a surmise: the same paragraph says that ‘the Lord’s Word does not inform us if there be other reasons for sex-distinction, and our surmises respecting the matter may or may not be correct’. The same pages state that ‘the first woman was Satan’s first ambassador’ and that Satan ‘has always found woman his most efficient representative’, and that ‘the danger with them would be so great that none were appointed to be teachers’. Source: The New Creation (Studies in the Scriptures, Series VI), 1904
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The same section states that 'sex is ignored by the Lord in the selecting of his Ecclesia' and that limitations on women 'must be understood to appertain merely to the present time'. The organisation's current position, published in January 2024, is that God 'did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women' and created both 'with the same mental capacity'.
1904 · pp.264-267 · Charles Taze Russell · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society / International Bible Students Association
“if she get before the public as a lecturer or teacher or writer, she gets into a position of great danger; because several of the peculiarities of her sex . . . which go to make her a true woman and attractive to true men will conspire under the unnatural conditions to spoil her womanhood—to make her “mannish.””
The section opens on p. 264 with the statement that ‘sex is ignored by the Lord in the selecting of his Ecclesia’ and that both men and women share the same hope, then argues that public religious service is nevertheless for men only. On p. 265 the same section says that Satan ‘has always found woman his most efficient representative’ and that ‘the first woman was Satan’s first ambassador’. On p. 266, in the sentences immediately before the passage quoted, the author states that ‘the Lord’s Word does not inform us if there be other reasons for sex-distinction, and our surmises respecting the matter may or may not be correct’, and then gives his reason: ‘in our opinion, however, some of the qualities of heart and mind which combine in the noblest types of woman, render her unsuitable for public religious services.’ The quotation recorded above follows two sentences later; the ellipsis inside it stands for the parenthesis ‘(one of which we have mentioned)’ and for nothing else.
Provenance and verification note for The New Creation (Studies in the Scriptures, Series VI), Woman's Province in the Church (in Study V, 'The Organization of the New Creation')
Confidence note. The scanned volume was opened on 19 September 2026 and read leaf by leaf from the page-level recognition text, each leaf taken on its own so that the printed page could be read from that leaf’s own running head. The heads read ‘The New Creation. 265’, ‘266 The Organization.’ and ‘The New Creation. 267’; the sentence quoted begins on p. 266 and the words ‘make her “mannish”’ open p. 267. The recognition software garbles several letters on these pages — ‘imsuitable’ for ‘unsuitable’, ‘plvmging’ for ‘plunging’, ‘v f ich’ for ‘which’, ‘shotild’ for ‘should’ — and the quotation above is taken from a stretch that it rendered cleanly. The shorter passages quoted in the context and notes fields cross those errors; they were read against the surrounding sentences and the obvious letters restored, and that restoration is disclosed here rather than made silently.
Scan provenance. Full page scan of the '364,000 Edition' printing held by the Internet Archive. The title page carries the International Bible Students Association imprint and the date 1915; the copyright page reads 'Copyright 1904, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society' and 'Written in 1904 by Pastor Russell.'
Notes. The same section states on p. 267: ‘the danger with them would be so great that none were appointed to be teachers’, and applies 1 Timothy 2:11, 12. The sentence that follows qualifies it: ‘This emphatic and explicit statement cannot, however, be understood to mean that the sisters of the New Creation may never impart a blessing by telling the old, old story.’
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-nc-1904-womans-province
1904 · pp.491-497 · Charles Taze Russell · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society / International Bible Students Association
“When we read in Genesis, as a part of the curse or sentence upon mother Eve, and indirectly upon all of her daughters, the words, “Thou shalt have desire unto thy husband, and he shall rule over thee,” and then look to see how this rule has been exercised throughout the world, we find that in many instances it has been a rule of tyranny, and that the strength of mind and of nature of the fallen man has not infrequently been exercised to the injury, instead of to the comfort and advantage of the wife and children. All good, noble men and women must deprecate such a condition of things; nor can we suppose that such an abuse of power is anything but offensive and ignominious in the sight of the Creator.”
A later chapter of the same book sets out the headship teaching from 1 Corinthians 11:3 and, on p. 491, denies any suggestion ‘that man is a master and woman his slave’; the sub-heading ‘MAN’S HEADSHIP NOT A TYRANNY’ stands on that page. The chapter condemns husbands who misuse their position, and on p. 497 tells husbands to seek a wife’s views while reserving the decision to the husband: ‘This does not mean that seeking the wife’s counsel means in all cases obedience to her views: it is for the husband to weigh, to consider, to balance, to decide.’
Provenance and verification note for The New Creation (Studies in the Scriptures, Series VI), Man and Woman in the Divine Order / Man's Headship Not a Tyranny
Confidence note. Read in the Internet Archive scan on 19 September 2026, leaf by leaf. The page was fixed from the running heads printed on the leaves themselves: the quoted sentences fall between the head ‘492 The New Creation.’ and the head ‘Marital and Other Privileges and Obligations. 493’, so they sit wholly on p. 492. The quotation begins at the start of its own sentence, so nothing is cut from its head. The context and notes passages were read on the leaves whose heads read ‘Marital and Other Privileges and Obligations. 491’, ‘496 The New Creation.’ and ‘Marital and Other Privileges and Obligations. 497’, and the pages field has been widened from 491-493 to match what this record actually quotes.
Scan provenance. Same Internet Archive scan of the '364,000 Edition' printing.
Notes. The same volume states on p. 496: ‘no woman should marry a man beneath her in character and talents’ and ‘no man should marry a woman his superior’.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-nc-1904-headship-not-tyranny
1904 · pp.264-267 · Charles Taze Russell · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society / International Bible Students Association
“if she get before the public as a lecturer or teacher or writer, she gets into a position of great danger; because several of the peculiarities of her sex . . . which go to make her a true woman and attractive to true men will conspire under the unnatural conditions to spoil her womanhood—to make her “mannish.””
The section opens on p. 264 with the statement that ‘sex is ignored by the Lord in the selecting of his Ecclesia’ and that both men and women share the same hope, then argues that public religious service is nevertheless for men only. On p. 265 the same section says that Satan ‘has always found woman his most efficient representative’ and that ‘the first woman was Satan’s first ambassador’. On p. 266, in the sentences immediately before the passage quoted, the author states that ‘the Lord’s Word does not inform us if there be other reasons for sex-distinction, and our surmises respecting the matter may or may not be correct’, and then gives his reason: ‘in our opinion, however, some of the qualities of heart and mind which combine in the noblest types of woman, render her unsuitable for public religious services.’ The quotation recorded above follows two sentences later; the ellipsis inside it stands for the parenthesis ‘(one of which we have mentioned)’ and for nothing else.
Provenance and verification note for The New Creation (Studies in the Scriptures, Series VI), Woman's Province in the Church (in Study V, 'The Organization of the New Creation')
Confidence note. The scanned volume was opened on 19 September 2026 and read leaf by leaf from the page-level recognition text, each leaf taken on its own so that the printed page could be read from that leaf’s own running head. The heads read ‘The New Creation. 265’, ‘266 The Organization.’ and ‘The New Creation. 267’; the sentence quoted begins on p. 266 and the words ‘make her “mannish”’ open p. 267. The recognition software garbles several letters on these pages — ‘imsuitable’ for ‘unsuitable’, ‘plvmging’ for ‘plunging’, ‘v f ich’ for ‘which’, ‘shotild’ for ‘should’ — and the quotation above is taken from a stretch that it rendered cleanly. The shorter passages quoted in the context and notes fields cross those errors; they were read against the surrounding sentences and the obvious letters restored, and that restoration is disclosed here rather than made silently.
Scan provenance. Full page scan of the '364,000 Edition' printing held by the Internet Archive. The title page carries the International Bible Students Association imprint and the date 1915; the copyright page reads 'Copyright 1904, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society' and 'Written in 1904 by Pastor Russell.'
Notes. The same section states on p. 267: ‘the danger with them would be so great that none were appointed to be teachers’, and applies 1 Timothy 2:11, 12. The sentence that follows qualifies it: ‘This emphatic and explicit statement cannot, however, be understood to mean that the sisters of the New Creation may never impart a blessing by telling the old, old story.’
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-nc-1904-womans-province
The Golden Age of 2 April 1930 answered a reader's question about life after the resurrection by saying that 'there have been some well authenticated instances in which women have been transformed into men, and it is possible that this transformation may become general and we shall all be brothers together.' Source: The Golden Age, 2 April 1930
The organisation’s position or later explanation: No later publication has been found that withdraws this answer. The Golden Age was discontinued under that title in 1937.
2 April 1930 · p.446 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Golden Age Publishing Co.)
“Whether the identity of the sexes, as such, will be preserved, we do not know. There have been some well authenticated instances in which women have been transformed into men, and it is possible that this transformation may become general and we shall all be brothers together.”
The sentences are the close of an answer in the magazine’s question-and-answer column, replying to a question printed as ‘QUESTION: Will husband and wife live together after the resurrection is completed, if both are in harmony with God?’ The answer first says that the Scriptures do not reveal what the relationship of men and women will be after the resurrection is completed, and that no children will be born during the last hundred years of the Millennium or after it. The column is headed ‘Bible Questions and Answers’, stands at the top of p. 446, and carries no byline of any kind, either under the heading or after the answer. The item printed immediately below it on the same page, ‘The Children’s Own Radio Story’, is signed ‘By C. J. W., Jr.’, and the item that ends at the foot of the preceding page, ‘Give Mollie a Chance’ (p. 445), is signed ‘By C. W. Miller (Kansas)’. The magazine marked contributed pieces here and did not mark this column.
Provenance and verification note for The Golden Age, Bible Questions and Answers
Confidence note. The scan was opened on 19 September 2026 and the passage read. The printed page is settled by the issue’s own table of contents, on the leaf facing the cover, which lists ‘BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS … 446’ and, on the line below it, ‘THE CHILDREN’S OWN RADIO STORY … 446’; both items are on the leaf carrying the passage, which settles the page without relying on a folio at all. The leaf sequence agrees: a clean recto head ‘April 2, 1930 The GOLDEN AGE 437’ stands eight leaves earlier and a clean verso head ‘440 The GOLDEN AGE Brooklyn, N. Y.’ five leaves earlier, which gives 446 for the leaf in question. That leaf prints no running head, because the ‘Bible Questions and Answers’ heading sits at the top of the page; its folio is at the foot, where the inking is poor and the digits cannot be read with confidence from the image. The recognition text of this item is unreliable on page numbers — it reads the 445 leaf as ‘415’ and the foot folio as ‘440’ — and the Internet Archive’s own page-number file follows it; neither was relied on.
Scan provenance. Internet Archive item whose first item is the complete issue of 2 April 1930, scanned from the printed magazine. The cover reads 'Volume XI - No. 275, April 2, 1930' and the masthead on the first text page reads 'Volume XI Brooklyn, N. Y., Wednesday, April 2, 1930 Number 275'.
Notes. This is the magazine’s own answer column, not a reader’s letter and not a reprint of an outside author. The Golden Age was the Watch Tower Society’s general magazine of the period; the masthead of this issue names the publishers as ‘WOODWORTH, KNORR & MARTIN’.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-ga-1930-0402-bible-questions
In Vindication, Book One (1931), the organisation's president J. F. Rutherford wrote that 'the women make monkeys or dupes of men' and that men 'have lost their real manhood and sturdiness', and described the customary courtesies shown to women — standing when a woman approaches, removing a hat in a lift — as 'a scheme of Satan to turn men away from God'. The passage is part of an argument that the enfranchisement of women in the United States in 1919-1920 fulfilled Ezekiel 13:17. Source: Vindication, Book One, 1931
The organisation’s position or later explanation: No later publication has been found that retracts this passage. Vindication has long been out of print and is not among the publications it now distributes.
1931 · pp.155-157 · J. F. Rutherford · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“The women make monkeys or dupes of men. The men have become effeminate, soft and easily influenced, and have lost their real manhood and sturdiness in the affairs of state and home.”
The passage sits in a section headed ‘Women to the Fore’ which applies Ezekiel 13:17 to the enfranchisement of women in the United States in 1919-1920 and to women preaching in the churches. It continues, on p. 157, by describing the customary courtesies of standing when a woman approaches and removing a hat in a lift as ‘a scheme of Satan to turn men away from God’. The same page then quotes 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23-25 as ‘the divine rule’ and says of that rule — not of the courtesies — ‘Satan would reverse this rule and put the women to the front.’ The section then continues to a passage on Mother’s Day.
Provenance and verification note for Vindication, Book One, Women to the Fore (in the chapter on Ezekiel 13, running head 'Serving Notice')
Confidence note. Opened in the Internet Archive scan on 19 September 2026 and read in full. The pages were fixed from the running heads printed on the pages themselves. The head '156 VINDICATION Ezek. 13' falls between the words 'prophets of peace and to' and 'have a part in guiding', so p. 156 begins there; the head 'Ezek. 13 SERVING NOTICE 157' falls between 'the real meaning is much different from' and 'that. It is a scheme of Satan', so p. 157 begins there. The quoted sentences lie wholly between those two heads and are therefore entirely on p. 156. The section heading 'Women to the Fore' stands earlier still, on p. 155.
Scan provenance. Full page scan hosted by the Internet Archive. The title page reads 'Comments by J. F. Rutherford' and, under the word 'Publishers', 'WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY / International Bible Students Association'; the copyright page reads 'Copyrighted 1931 by J. F. Rutherford', so the copyright stood in the author's own name.
Notes. This is a signed book by the organisation's president, not a magazine article or a reader's letter. The wording circulating on secondary sites matches the scan.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-vind1-1931-women-to-the-fore
The Watchtower of 15 September 1941 reported a convention discourse by J. F. Rutherford in which, advising against marriage before the expected end, he asked: 'Why, then, should a man who has the prospect before him of being of the great multitude now tie himself up to a stack of bones and a hank of hair?' The report marks the line as followed by applause. Source: The Watchtower, 15 September 1941Source: jwfacts.com, July 2022 (unverified)
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation's current publications tell husbands to honour their wives and state that God 'did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women'. No source in this file establishes when or how the counsel against marrying before the end was withdrawn; that should be traced and cited before the site says anything about it.
15 September 1941 · p.287 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Why, then, should a man who has the prospect before him of being of the great multitude now tie himself up to a stack of bones and a hank of hair?”
The page is part of an unsigned report of a convention discourse delivered by the organisation's president, J. F. Rutherford, and introduced on the same page by the chairman as 'CHILDREN OF THE KING'; '(Applause)' is marked through the report at intervals. The sentence quoted comes in a passage advising against marriage before the expected end, and the report prints it inside quotation marks, so it is given as Rutherford's own spoken words and not as the reporter's summary. The sentences on either side of it are the reporter's summary, unquoted.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower
Confidence note. The page image was downloaded and read on 19 September 2026, and the quoted sentence, the date and the page number were all legible on it. It is recorded as supported rather than verified because the only copy located is hosted by a site critical of the organisation: the Watchtower Online Library holds The Watchtower only from 1950, and no 1941 volume of the magazine is on the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive items titled 'The Watchtower 1940-1941' and 'The Watchtower 1941-1942' are the student newspaper of Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia, and the item titled 'RIHS Watchtower 1941' is the yearbook of Rock Island Public High School, Rock Island, Illinois; none of the three is Watch Tower Society material. The Internet Archive does hold a French-language Watch Tower volume for 1941 (item '2b-1941', 'La Tour de Garde - Année 1941'), which would have served as an independent witness; its issue for 15 September 1941 was opened and does not carry this convention report, that edition being an abridged translation. No second copy of the page exists that this audit could reach.
Scan provenance. Photographic scan of the printed page hosted by jwfacts.com (discovery site); no copy held by the organisation or by a library was located. The image is a photograph of a magazine page carrying the running head 'September 15, 1941 The WATCHTOWER 287', in the two-column setting and typeface of the magazine of that period, and it was read as an image in this session. Its chain of custody is a single critical site and it cannot be checked against another copy.
Notes. The phrase echoes Rudyard Kipling's 1897 poem 'The Vampire' ('A rag and a bone and a hank of hair'). Secondary sites say Rutherford used the expression in public talks generally; what the scan establishes is its appearance in this convention report. The same page reports him saying of a resurrected Deborah: 'Soon you will see Barak and Deborah (I got a picture of her in this book), and when you see her you will love her very much. She is a real woman . . .' (the sentence runs on past the foot of the page).
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-1941-0915-convention-report
A site critical of the organisation which collects citations on this subject. It was used here only to find out which publications, issues and pages to look at; every quotation recorded in this file was then read in the publication itself, except where the entry says otherwise.
Provenance and verification note for jwfacts.com, Watchtower's View of Women / Watchtower Quotes Regarding Women's role, submission and headship
Confidence note. Read on 19 September 2026 as a finding aid. Nothing on this page is treated as evidence. Where its citations were checked against the originals, most page references were accurate; the exceptions are recorded in the notes of the individual sources.
Notes. The page states the date of its last update as July 2022.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-jwfacts-womens-place
The Watchtower stated in 1951 and again in 1952 that 'man and woman were not created equal in power and glory; the man came first and was given special prerogatives', and in 1952 added that 'women who rebel at it are not so much rebelling against men as they are against God'. The 1952 passage is the published answer to a reader who asked whether men should tip their hats to women; the answer was that they should not. Source: The Watchtower, 15 April 1952Source: The Watchtower, 1 May 1951
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The 1951 article that first carried the sentence also stated that 'there is absolutely no warrant in Scripture for domestic dictatorship, bossism or domineering brutality on the part of a husband' and that 'women are not cows or pieces of property'. The organisation's current teaching is that God 'did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women'.
15 April 1952 · pp.254-256 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Man and woman were not created equal in power and glory; the man came first and was given special prerogatives. As Jehovah is the head over his wifely organization, and as Christ is the head over his espoused church, so the man is the head over the woman. It is the woman that is commanded to show respect and recognition of the man's position of headship, and women who rebel at it are not so much rebelling against men as they are against God.”
The passage is the organisation's published answer to a reader's question, 'Is it proper for men to tip their hats to women?' The answer traces the custom to chivalry, says that Satan 'has pushed the woman ahead of the man', and concludes that a man should not raise his hat to a woman.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Questions From Readers
Confidence note. The full column was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted paragraph falls immediately after the library's page marker for page 254. The citation code inside the document reads 'w52 4/15 pp. 254-256'.
Notes. The version of this passage that circulates on secondary sites carries two transcription errors: it reads 'his wifey organization' for 'his wifely organization' and 'so the man I the head over the woman' for 'so the man is the head over the woman'. The wording above is taken from the organisation's own library text. This is a Questions From Readers ruling, which in this period carried the weight of a direction to congregations.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-1952-0415-qfr-hat-tipping
1 May 1951 · pp.276-279 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Man and woman were not created equal in power and glory; the man came first and was given special prerogatives.”
The sentence opens a section headed ‘WIVES IN SUBJECTION TO HUSBANDS’, which applies 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and says that women ‘should not openly dispute, debate or wrangle over a matter and thus challenge and disgrace the man’s position of headship’. The same article rejects the opposite extreme in equally plain terms on p. 278: ‘There is absolutely no warrant in Scripture for domestic dictatorship, bossism or domineering brutality on the part of a husband.’ It adds: ‘Women are not cows or pieces of property that become exclusive possessions of husbands to do with them whatsoever they please.’
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Making a Success of Marriage
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The page was taken from the library's own page markers: the section heading and the quoted sentence fall between the markers for pages 277 and 278, so the sentence is on p. 277. The article's citation code inside the document reads 'w51 5/1 pp. 276-279'.
Notes. This is the earlier of the two places where the 'not created equal in power and glory' sentence appears; the better-known 1952 version is a separate article.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-1951-0501-making-success-marriage
The Watchtower of 15 March 1964 told women that in the congregation a sister 'would not be found debating with brothers or publicly criticizing them', and that where a man gave a wrong answer at a meeting she might quote the printed paragraph but 'neither by her comment nor by her tone of voice would she be critical of the brother's answer'. It added that it would be better for the conductor to call on other men instead, to avoid embarrassment. Source: The Watchtower, 15 March 1964
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The same article stated that women share the heavenly hope equally with men, though 'not as women, but as glorious spirit creatures'. The 2024 Watchtower tells elders to invite women's suggestions and to listen carefully when they speak.
15 March 1964 · pp.178-183 · pars. 11-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Where a wrong comment is offered by a male person in the audience, during the Watchtower study for example, this does not require the sister if called on to follow along and make her comment agree with the incorrect thought given. But neither by her comment nor by her tone of voice would she be critical of the brother's answer.”
The article sets out what a woman may and may not do in the congregation. It explains that 'keep silent in the congregations' does not mean total silence, but that 'a sister would not be found debating with brothers or publicly criticizing them, either at a meeting or to other members of the congregation at other times, nor would she exercise authority over the brothers as a teacher or instructor'. It adds that if other mature men are present it would be better for the conductor to call on them instead, and 'thus avoid any possible embarrassment'.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, The Privileges of the Christian Woman
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted paragraph 12 falls between the library's page markers for pages 181 and 182, so it is on p. 181. The citation code inside the document reads 'w64 3/15 pp. 178-183'.
Notes. The same article states that 'no woman could serve as a Levite priest', that women who share the heavenly hope do so in a way that 'would not be as women, but as glorious spirit creatures in the heavens', and that God 'takes into account the sex distinction as to service arrangements in his organization'. Earlier paragraphs describe the wife's role largely in terms of the home: 'A home that is kept clean, neat and orderly is usually a testimony to the fact that here lives a capable wife.'
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-1964-0315-privileges-christian-woman
Awake! of 22 April 1974 treated cleaning and cooking as the wife's share of a marriage, telling a husband whose wife 'may fall considerably short of measuring up to the "capable wife" described in the Bible' that attention 'might tactfully be drawn to the poor impression created on others if the home is messy, or the family ill fed'. The same page also told him to stop making nagging comparisons and to help with the dishes and the floors. Source: Awake!, 22 April 1974
22 April 1974 · pp.9-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Your wife, too, may fall considerably short of measuring up to the “capable wife” described in the Bible. . . . Attention might tactfully be drawn to the poor impression created on others if the home is messy, or the family ill fed.”
The article advises husbands on marriage. In a section headed ‘Handling Other Problems’ it treats housekeeping and cooking as the wife’s part of the marriage and tells the husband how to prompt her to improve, while also telling him not to make nagging comparisons with other wives and to help with the dishes and the floors. The ellipsis in the quotation is not a small one: it stands for the end of one paragraph and the whole of the next, in which the magazine warns that husbands who ‘in a nagging way, draw comparisons with the well-kept homes and fine cooking of other wives’ will only cause resentment. All of it is on p. 12.
Provenance and verification note for Awake!, What Husbands Can Do
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted sentences fall after the library's page marker for page 12. The citation code inside the document reads 'g74 4/22 pp. 9-12'.
Notes. The sentence most often quoted from this page — 'I would rather have a cleaner house and better fed kids than a wife who lets everything go so she can rest up for sack time' — is a husband's complaint that the magazine quotes, not the magazine's own wording. The magazine's own counsel around it includes: 'on your day off, or in the evening, why not give her a hand by washing the dishes and cleaning the rugs and floors?'
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-g-1974-0422-what-husbands-can-do
The Watchtower of 15 May 2011 described 'a wife who is foolish' as one who speaks unfavourably of her husband, and a wise wife as one 'careful not to undermine her husband's headship by nagging him or arguing with him', is economical and 'does not pressure her husband to work overtime'. Source: The Watchtower, 15 May 2011
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The matching section of the same article tells husbands not to dominate their wives harshly and says a wife 'is worthy of honor'. The article opens the section on wives by saying that subjection 'in no way suggests an undignified position'.
15 May 2011 · pp.7-11 · par. 11 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“A wife who is foolish does not hesitate to speak unfavorably of her husband, whereas a wise woman works to increase the respect that her children and others have for him. Such a wife is careful not to undermine her husband's headship by nagging him or arguing with him.”
A study article addressed in successive sections to husbands and to wives. The section on wives opens by saying that subjection 'in no way suggests an undignified position', then describes the wise wife as supportive, economical and careful not to pressure her husband to work overtime.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Christian Families—"Stay Awake"
Confidence note. The full article was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read; the quoted paragraph 11 falls after the library's page marker for page 9. The citation line inside the document reads 'w11 5/15 pp. 7-11'.
Notes. The matching section addressed to husbands tells them not to dominate their wives harshly and that a wife 'is worthy of honor'.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-w-2011-0515-stay-awake
One widely repeated quotation about the size of women’s brains could not be traced to the issue it is attributed to, so it is recorded as unverified and is not used as evidence anywhere on this site.
Wording widely reproduced on other sites, and attributed there to Awake! of 22 August 1967, page 27, has the female skull's cranial capacity about 10 percent smaller than the male's and says psychological evidence supports the man taking the lead. This site has not confirmed that wording, that page, or that the magazine was stating the view rather than quoting someone: the issue could not be opened in any form. The Watchtower Online Library's index of Awake! begins at 1970, a full-text search of that library for 'cranial capacity' returns nothing, and no scan of the 1967 issue was found. Source: Awake!, 22 August 1967 (unverified)Source: jwfacts.com, July 2022 (unverified)
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation's published position since at least January 2024 is that God 'did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women' and that a wife is not 'inferior—less intelligent or capable—than a man'.
22 August 1967 · p.27 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
A passage attributed to this page — stating that the female skull is lighter and its cranial capacity about 10 percent smaller than the male's, and that psychological evidence supports the man taking the lead — is widely reproduced on sites critical of the organisation. No quotation is recorded here because the issue could not be opened.
No online copy located.
Provenance and verification note for Awake!
Confidence note. Not located in any form that could be opened on 19 September 2026. The Watchtower Online Library carries Awake! only from 1970, and full-text searches there for the distinctive phrases return nothing; the Internet Archive holds no 1967 volume of the magazine; no scan of the page was found. The wording in circulation was seen only on jwfacts.com. Re-checked independently on the same date: the Watchtower Online Library's index of Awake! begins at 1970, and a full-text search of that library for the phrase 'cranial capacity' returns no result in any publication. To confirm the passage, a scan or a library copy of the issue of 22 August 1967 would be needed, together with the article title and the surrounding paragraphs, since the sentence may be quoting an outside authority rather than stating the magazine's own view.
Notes. The same secondary page attributes a similar argument to a recorded public talk given in Oakland, California, in 1971 by Samuel Herd, later a member of the Governing Body. That recording was not examined and no transcript from the organisation exists, so nothing about it is recorded as evidence.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-g-1967-0822-female-skull
A site critical of the organisation which collects citations on this subject. It was used here only to find out which publications, issues and pages to look at; every quotation recorded in this file was then read in the publication itself, except where the entry says otherwise.
Provenance and verification note for jwfacts.com, Watchtower's View of Women / Watchtower Quotes Regarding Women's role, submission and headship
Confidence note. Read on 19 September 2026 as a finding aid. Nothing on this page is treated as evidence. Where its citations were checked against the originals, most page references were accurate; the exceptions are recorded in the notes of the individual sources.
Notes. The page states the date of its last update as July 2022.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-wom-jwfacts-womens-place
· Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Hotlines for victims of domestic violence may offer immediate support. Those who work these hotlines can help you develop a safety plan. . . . Other emergency resources can help you if you are in immediate danger. These resources may include doctors, nurses, or other trained professionals.”
1904 · pp.264-267 · Charles Taze Russell · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society / International Bible Students Association
“if she get before the public as a lecturer or teacher or writer, she gets into a position of great danger; because several of the peculiarities of her sex . . . which go to make her a true woman and attractive to true men will conspire under the unnatural conditions to spoil her womanhood—to make her “mannish.””
1904 · pp.491-497 · Charles Taze Russell · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society / International Bible Students Association
“When we read in Genesis, as a part of the curse or sentence upon mother Eve, and indirectly upon all of her daughters, the words, “Thou shalt have desire unto thy husband, and he shall rule over thee,” and then look to see how this rule has been exercised throughout the world, we find that in many instances it has been a rule of tyranny, and that the strength of mind and of nature of the fallen man has not infrequently been exercised to the injury, instead of to the comfort and advantage of the wife and children. All good, noble men and women must deprecate such a condition of things; nor can we suppose that such an abuse of power is anything but offensive and ignominious in the sight of the Creator.”
2 April 1930 · p.446 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Golden Age Publishing Co.)
“Whether the identity of the sexes, as such, will be preserved, we do not know. There have been some well authenticated instances in which women have been transformed into men, and it is possible that this transformation may become general and we shall all be brothers together.”
1931 · pp.155-157 · J. F. Rutherford · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“The women make monkeys or dupes of men. The men have become effeminate, soft and easily influenced, and have lost their real manhood and sturdiness in the affairs of state and home.”
15 April 1952 · pp.254-256 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Man and woman were not created equal in power and glory; the man came first and was given special prerogatives. As Jehovah is the head over his wifely organization, and as Christ is the head over his espoused church, so the man is the head over the woman. It is the woman that is commanded to show respect and recognition of the man's position of headship, and women who rebel at it are not so much rebelling against men as they are against God.”
15 March 1964 · pp.178-183 · pars. 11-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Where a wrong comment is offered by a male person in the audience, during the Watchtower study for example, this does not require the sister if called on to follow along and make her comment agree with the incorrect thought given. But neither by her comment nor by her tone of voice would she be critical of the brother's answer.”
22 April 1974 · pp.9-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Your wife, too, may fall considerably short of measuring up to the “capable wife” described in the Bible. . . . Attention might tactfully be drawn to the poor impression created on others if the home is messy, or the family ill fed.”
June 2000 · p.3 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Occasionally at meetings for field service, it might be necessary for a baptized sister to offer prayer if there is no qualified brother there to represent the group. She would need to wear an appropriate head covering. If it is likely that a qualified brother will not be present at certain meetings for service, the elders should assign a qualified sister to take the lead.”
8 November 2001 · pp.8-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Should the battered wife leave her husband? The Bible does not treat marital separation lightly. At the same time, it does not oblige a battered wife to stay with a man who jeopardizes her health and perhaps her very life. The Christian apostle Paul wrote: “If she should actually depart, let her remain unmarried or else make up again with her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16) Since the Bible does not forbid separation in extreme circumstances, what a woman does in this matter is a personal decision. (Galatians 6:5) No one should coax a wife to leave her husband, but neither should anyone pressure a battered woman to stay with an abusive man when her health, life, and spirituality are threatened.”
15 July 2002 · pp.26-27 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Praying or preaching in the Christian congregation is normally the responsibility of a man. Hence, when a Christian woman cares for matters pertaining to worship that ordinarily would be performed by her husband or by a baptized man, she should wear a head covering.”
2008 · pp.209-212 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
2008 · pp.219-221 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Extreme physical abuse. An abusive spouse may act so violently that the abused mate's health and even life are in danger. If the abusive spouse is a Christian, congregation elders should investigate the charges. Fits of anger and a practice of violent behavior are grounds for disfellowshipping.”
15 May 2011 · pp.7-11 · par. 11 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“A wife who is foolish does not hesitate to speak unfavorably of her husband, whereas a wise woman works to increase the respect that her children and others have for him. Such a wife is careful not to undermine her husband's headship by nagging him or arguing with him.”
December 2018 · pp.10-14 · pars. 17-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“He might be extremely physically abusive, even to the point that she feels that her health or life is in danger. He might refuse to support her and the family or severely endanger her spirituality. In such cases, some Christians have personally decided that, despite what he might say, the mate is not “agreeable to staying” together and that a separation is necessary. But other Christians in comparably difficult situations have not; they have endured and tried to work at improving matters.”
February 2021 · pp.14-19 · pars. 7-9, 12-13 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“It is true, however, that Jehovah has appointed men to take the lead in teaching and worship in the congregation, and he has not given women that same authority. (1 Tim. 2:12) Why? For the same reason that he has appointed Jesus as head of the man—to keep good order in his family. If because of circumstances a sister must fill a role that is normally cared for by a brother, then Jehovah requires that she wear a head covering.”
January 2024 · pp.15-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“He did not make men more intelligent or more talented than women; nor does he prefer men to women. (2 Chron. 19:7) He created men and women with the same mental capacity to grasp Bible truths and to reflect his beautiful qualities.”