questions
peculiar to this radiant century....

One of these questions concerns the rights of woman and her equality with
man. In past ages it was held that woman and man were not equal--that is to
say, woman was considered inferior to man, even from the standpoint of her
anatomy and creation. She was considered especially inferior in
intelligence, and the idea prevailed universally that it was not allowable
for her to step into the arena of important affairs. In some countries man
went so far as to believe and teach that woman belonged to a sphere lower
than human. But in this century, which is the century of light and the
revelation of mysteries, God is proving to the satisfaction of humanity
that all this is ignorance and error; nay, rather, it is well established
that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are coequal and
that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human. The
conditions in past centuries were due to woman's lack of opportunity. She
was denied the right and privilege of education and left in her
undeveloped state. Naturally, she could not and did not advance. In
reality, God has created all mankind, and in the estimation of God there
is no distinction as to male and female. The one whose heart is pure is
acceptable in His sight, be that one man or woman. God does not inquire,
"Art thou woman or art thou man?" He judges human actions. If these are
acceptable in the threshold of the Glorious One, man and woman will be
equally recognized and rewarded.

("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Baha
during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", p. 133) [15]

16: The world of humanity consists of two parts: male and female. Each
is...

The world of humanity consists of two parts: male and female. Each is the
complement of the other. Therefore, if one is defective, the other will
necessarily be incomplete, and perfection cannot be attained. There is a
right hand and a left hand in the human body, functionally equal in
service and administration. If either proves defective, the defect will
naturally extend to the other by involving the completeness of the whole;
for accomplishment is not normal unless both are perfect. If we say one
hand is deficient, we prove the inability and incapacity of the other; for
single-handed there is no full accomplishment. Just as physical
accomplishment is complete with two hands, so man and woman, the tw