Position of husband in diverse culture

In contemporary western culture, the rights of wife and husband have been made equal; although in regard to husbands leaving their families, the civil marriage generally forces them to provide alimony for his former spouse even after separation and also after a divorce; this law, however, typically only applies to women as well in the case of a wealthier wife separating herself from a less wealthy man/woman.

The status of marriage allows the husband and his spouse to speak on each other’s behalf when one is incapacitated (e.g., in a coma); a husband is also responsible for his wife’s children in states where he is automatically assumed to be the biological father.

As an external sign to show his status as a married man, a husband commonly wears his wedding ring on the ring finger; whether on the left or right hand, depends on the country’s tradition.

In Islamic marital relationship, husbands are considered protector of the household and his wives. The various rights and obligations offer the husband opportunities denied to his wife or wives, not only in legal and economical affairs of the family but within the family as well. For other scholars, the passage “the Prophet (s) said: ‘Do not beat your wife’ and ‘Do not strike your wife in the face. Progressive Muslims today may also agree on a perfectly equal relationship.

In marriages in Hinduism, a Hindu husband traditionally took his wife to his home, hardly ever to return to her family. As a result, he was expected to provide for her and to prove his abilities to do so. The marriage before modernity was a contract between families, similar to the Western marriage. Equal rights for women and a modern jurisdiction have offered marriage out of love and civil marriage, different from the traditional arranged marriages. “In Hindu law, the male members of a joint family, together with their wives, widows, and children, are entitled to support out of the joint property.”