Do Catholics believe that men are the head of the household

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The below Catholic link displays bible passages which seems to suggest that women should take a subservient role to their husbands and that the husband had “authority” over the wife.

How do you see this as a Catholic and I’m also wondering whether this varies according to which culture you are from?

If you agree with this,how does this play out in everyday life in a practical sense?

I live in Australia and the
idea of women being subservient to men really does not play out well here,especially not in this current climate.
Personally,I don’t like the ideal of wives berating husbands,but at the same time the idea of being lower/lesser/subservient to a future potential husband also leaves a yucky feeling.
As do bible statements such as "Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

I also wonder about the mindset of the type of guy that would want this?

 
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Also,should a healthy marriage even be a power struggle like this would suggest?
In my view,a healthy marriage is two mature equals.
 
From the link:

The Holy Catholic Church teaches, through Scripture and Tradition, that the husband is the head of his family and has God-given authority over his wife and children. This gift of authority does not give a husband any greater dignity than his wife. Both are equal members of the marital covenant, as is reflected by God creating woman from the side of man (as opposed to his head or feet). Instead, this order of authority reflects the divine order between God, Christ and man. God blessed the marital covenant with this order to maintain peace and harmony in the family, the “domestic church.” Just as Christ is the Head of the Catholic Church (the family of God), so the father is the head of his domestic church (his family).

1 Cor. 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.”

Eph. 5:22-24 – “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of the church, His Body, and is himself its savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.”

It does not say the wife is “being lower/lesser/subservient,” in the context of the scriptural verses. In fact, it quite clearly stated that it does not give husband greater dignity. It actually says that both members (husband and wife) are equal in the marital covenant (marriage).

It is more of the respective roles of the husband and wife accordingly in a marriage. The context of wife obeying the husband is in where it is good and correct, as how the Church being the Bride obeying the Bridegroom (Jesus).
 
The context of the husband in loving the wife is in Eph 5, which is the context that the wife obeys him.

Eph 5:25-33
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

The husband should take the role of spiritual head (by washing with the word) so that in doing so he cause the wife to be holy and unblemished, fit to be presented to the Lord.
 
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Many, many people - Catholic or not - read and get all emotionally constricted by verses 22-24, but never bother to read or study verses 25-33. The husband is to give up his life for his wife; how much more sacrificial and “subservient” can he be?

If both husband and wife are acting according to God’s word and will, neither will feel oppressed or submissive toward the other.
 
Yes, the man is the head of the household and the wife is to be subservient to her husband.

If a woman is divorced and has custody of the children, then she, of course, is the head of her household and must be obeyed by her children.
 
Yeah another submission thread. Please add veiling and music at mass to the agenda, I will make popcorn 😙
 
Ok, I am a fairly conservative Catholic, and nothing drives me more crazy than to see Catholics interpret Ephesians Chapter 5 and focus on Verse 22 and 23. I have heard lots of protestant fundamentalist types do that. I once heard a very traditional Catholic priest talk on this chapter to a group of men. He focused on the “Husband love your wives just as Christ loved the Church”. That’s a tough one. But one of the way Christ loved the Church was to give the Church authority: “What you bound on earth shall be bound in heaven…”. I would argue that in the household, in a good Catholic household, the wife should be in just as much charge as the husband, if not more. Are we loving our wives as Christ loved the church if we will not allow her to have that authority?
And I will note: I grew up in a small Catholic farming community. I knew a lot of women who certainly ran their household. Those families tended to function pretty well.
 
OP, do a search on this site. When I typed in husband as head, there are at least 20 threads on this topic. Actually, there are more, I stopped counting at 20. If you read them, you will see the same scriptures, arguments and explanations are rampant.
 
Irishmom2 said:
OP, do a search on this site. When I typed in husband as head, there are at least 20 threads on this topic. Actually, there are more, I stopped counting at 20. If you read them, you will see the same scriptures, arguments and explanations are rampant.
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Yea, but there are 20 threads on lots of topics. Should we just shut down the forum because all the various arguments have been made?
 
Did I say that? I didn’t even suggest that, you are reading something into what I said that I did not intend. I often suggest to posters that they use the search feature if they are interested in a topic that has been covered and wish to read immediate answers instead of waiting for others to respond.
 
That’s how I interpreted “you will see the same scriptures, arguments and explanations are rampant” also, and I took exception to it. We are apparently wrong.
 
There’s nothing wrong with using the search function. Apparently that’s what it’s for, and that;s the only reason CAF saves anything.
I think you’re reading some disharmony where there is none, but that’s just my opinion,.
 
No disharmony at all. I just think both if us initially misinterpretted her post.
 
Reuben_J said:
The context of wife obeying the husband is in where it is good and correct, as how the Church being the Bride obeying the Bridegroom (Jesus).
Click to expand...
In which way though,in real life examples,would the wife be expected to obey the husband?
When I think of the word obey,it’s hard for me to see that as different from subservient?

For example,if your husband decides that you should work (or not),does that mean you then have to obey him?
Does this teaching mean that he can just make these decisions for you without any consultation with you on the matter?
 
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