Saint John of Kronstadt argued that changes in the field of education and the increasing number of women with high levels of education do not at all indicate the need to revise the divinely established order of relationships between men and women.

Divine Family Hierarchy Amid Educational Changes

Saint John of Kronstadt argued that changes in the field of education and the increasing number of women with high levels of education do not at all indicate the need to revise the divinely established order of relationships between men and women. In his view, even if modern women, thanks to education, can achieve success in various areas, this does not change their primary purpose as guardians of the family, which is their natural and intended role.

He presented the argument that modern voices calling for the wife to be the head of the family on the basis that women might have better education and higher earnings do not imply that the commandments of the Holy Scriptures have lost their relevance. As he noted:
"We too are increasingly hearing voices, even within the Orthodox community, that a wife can quite well be the head of the family since society has changed, and women can have better education than men, can be more adept in many matters, and even earn a higher salary than their husbands. Sometimes you even hear such statements from the mouths of some 'progressive' priests. But the fact that we now see very few strong, responsible men who would serve as the head of the wife and family does not at all indicate that the Holy Scripture is outdated and that everything it says about family hierarchy needs to be revised. Human male and female nature has not undergone changes—only the consciousness of people has changed."
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Saint John also explained that the rise in women's educational levels is a kind of response to their recognition of the advantage of male education. His argument was clear: a man traditionally gains the upper hand due to his education and upbringing, and a woman's efforts to compensate for this through education cannot alter the fundamental differences between the sexes. Thus, despite social changes, higher education for Russian men and women must essentially remain in line with naturally established transcendental principles, where the natural difference in roles does not change.
"If breaking an iron lattice only requires great physical strength, the prisoner will gradually learn to consider healthy muscles as the highest virtue. If cunning can help him, he will come to believe that cunning is the most valuable trait in the world—approximately the same happens with our woman. She has convinced herself that a man’s advantage is primarily due to his education…"
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In summary, Saint John of Kronstadt advocated for the preservation of the established family hierarchy, where men's higher education was seen as a natural confirmation of their role in the family, and the rise in women's education was viewed as a symptom of changing consciousness rather than as a foundation for altering the natural and Divine order of relationships between men and women.