Article — Prümmer, Manuale Theologiae Moralis
Article III. On the Obligations of Spouses
We treat briefly of the obligations of spouses, because in other places, namely, in the tract on justice, where the goods of wives were discussed, n. 15ff., and in the tract on matrimony, where the conjugal due will be treated, III, n. 704ff., the mutual rights and obligations of spouses are explained. There can be distinguished, however, mutual obligations which are equal between both spouses, and obligations which are peculiar to one or the other spouse.
591. 1. Mutual obligations. Spouses equally owe to one another: a) mutual affective and effective love; b) the conjugal due; c) common life.
a) Spouses are bound to show one another sincere mutual love. For since they are, as it were, one flesh, they must also be, as it were, one heart. Therefore St. Paul commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church;1023 and wives to love their husbands.1024 This love must be not only affective but also effective. Effective love demands that spouses assist one another according to their ability, especially in necessities; that each bear the burdens of the other; and that they avoid disordered egoism, insulting words, harshness, and especially jealousy, which is accustomed to be the sepulcher of conjugal love.
b) Spouses are bound mutually to render the conjugal due. Therefore St. Paul says: "Let the husband render the debt to his wife; and the wife also in like manner to the husband."1025 Above all, spouses must preserve conjugal fidelity, so that they do not perpetrate even mental adultery. The conjugal due will be discussed in the tract on matrimony III, n. 704ff.
c) Spouses are bound to live together, so that they have a common dwelling, table, and bed. Hence Christ again inculcated the precept of the Old Testament: "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh."1026 When it is lawful to make either perfect or imperfect divorce will be said below in the tract on matrimony III, n. 688ff.
1023 Eph. 5:25.
1024 Titus 2:4; cf. also Col. 3:18 and 1 Tim. 2:15.
1025 1 Cor. 7:3.
1026 Matt. 19:5.
592. 2. The obligations and rights of the husband. Since the husband is the head of the family, there belongs to him the power of governing: a) the wife; b) the children; c) the family property.
Hence he must take care that the wife faithfully fulfills all her duties; but he is also bound to provide her with sufficient food, clothing, and housing, even if the wife brought no dowry goods. In the case of divorce as to bed and habitation, the husband is bound to provide suitable support for the wife, unless the divorce was made on account of the grave fault of the wife. Therefore a husband sins if he treats his wife harshly and roughly; or if he compels her to labors which dishonor her condition and dignity. For the wife is the companion, and not the handmaid, of the husband. A husband can, and indeed must, correct a wife who is at fault; this correction ordinarily ought to consist in words uttered without anger and hatred. Graver corrections consisting in deeds or blows are commonly evil or at least to be dissuaded, inasmuch as they are more harmful than useful. A husband can sin gravely if he pursues his wife with abusive words, for example, by calling her an adulteress, harlot, witch, etc.; likewise he sins gravely if he greatly afflicts his wife by his drunken excesses and other disordered passions.
By reason of paternal power over the children, the direction of their education is incumbent upon the husband according to what was said above concerning the education of children.
The husband must diligently administer the family goods entrusted to him. As regards the administration of the wife's goods, the civil laws or legitimate agreements must be observed, as was said above, n. 16ff., in the tract on justice.
593. 3. The obligations and rights of the wife. The wife must revere the husband and render him due obedience.
Therefore the Apostle admonishes: "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as it behoveth in the Lord."1027 The reason for this subjection is drawn from the condition of the family itself, whose head and ruler is the husband. The wife must furthermore exercise diligent care in the education of the little children and in domestic affairs, as her condition requires. Hence a wife sins if she neglects domestic affairs by indulging too much in idleness and amusements; likewise she sins if she indulges too much in luxury and thus exasperates her husband. The rights of the wife are drawn from the obligations of the husband just explained; but especially the wife can demand that she be treated by her husband in all things as his companion.
1027 Col. 3:18.
594. Scholion. On the emancipation of women. Although this matter does not pertain to the virtue of piety, nevertheless, since there was discussion above concerning the relations between man and woman, it is useful here to touch briefly upon some things necessary for the moral theologian to know concerning the emancipation of women, which today so agitates minds and the commonwealth. By the name emancipation of women is understood an equality of rights in every respect between men and women, so that access even to all political offices, and especially to political suffrage, is open to women. Some, however, do not aspire to so radical an emancipation of women, but wish only to vindicate greater rights for women in the domestic and economic order. The Catholic Church has not hitherto condemned a moderate emancipation of women. The following norms appear to be observed:
1. Man and woman are equal as regards the substance of human nature, as regards the soul, and as regards the attainment of grace and glory; therefore St. Paul says: "[In Christ] there is neither male nor female."1028 For this reason the Catholic Church has never ceased to teach that woman is not the handmaid, but the companion, of man.
2. Although a woman is ordinarily weaker than a man as regards the powers of body and intellect, nevertheless there exist not a few women capable of accomplishing the same works, at least the easier ones, which men perform. Therefore nothing of itself prevents these works and offices from being entrusted to capable women. Hence, for example, nothing prevents the office of physician, advocate, teacher, etc., from being entrusted to suitable women. Already in the Old Testament Deborah was a judge.
3. The principal natural end for which God created woman is that she be a help to man.1029 Therefore God first created Adam and afterward Eve, whom He made from the rib of Adam; He did not first make Eve, nor did He derive Adam from the substance of Eve. These things appear to be manifest signs that woman ought to be subject to man. To this is added that in both the Old and the New Testament God excluded women from the priestly office, which again demonstrates sufficiently clearly that God does not will to grant woman equality with man in every respect in all offices. Therefore the radical emancipation of women and complete equalization between man and woman appears to be contrary to the intention of the Creator.
4. The principal office of woman is to procure the good of the domestic family. But the family is the foundation of the whole of human society. Now it is established by daily experience that the good of the family is scarcely possible without the effective assistance of woman. Therefore such an emancipation of women as tears them too much from the bosom of the family, or renders family life very difficult for husbands and children, is morally evil and harmful also to the social good.
5. On the part of Christian doctrine, nothing prevents, at least of itself, the right of suffrage even in political matters from being granted to capable women, for this is prohibited nowhere; but it is another question whether any benefit arises for the commonwealth and the Church from the right to vote being granted to women. This question does not appear capable of being solved a priori, but will have a diverse answer according to the diverse regimes of different regions.1030
1028 Gal. 3:28.
1029 Gen. 2:18.
1030 A. Rösler treats this matter well in Die Frauenfrage (Freiburg, 1907); Gnauck-Kühne in Staatslexikon, s.v. "Frauenfrage"; H. Lange and G. Bäumer, Handbuch der Frauenbewegung (1901).