The Lord created the man and woman to procreate, but childbirth was not intended to be painful. Because of the Fall, pain was "greatly" multiplied, resulting from the disharmony that had entered the world through sin. Before sin, all creatures lived in harmony. There was cooperation between the creation on earth and their appointed rulers. Now there was conflict, which always leads to pain.
As a part of the curse, the man was appointed to rule over the woman. This is an increasingly unpopular truth, mostly because of the tragic oppression and abuse of authority by men over women. Even so, the Lord has a "women's liberation movement" that will greatly transcend the one that the enemy has perpetrated to try to preempt and sidetrack it. The promulgation of true spiritual authority will be the liberation of everyone.
True spiritual authority does not bind and oppress, but it liberates. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (see II Corinthians 3:17). True spiritual authority is a protective covering that brings freedom to those who are under it, to be what they were created to be. This authority is not for the purpose of subjugation, but rather to serve and free those who are under its covering. When true spiritual
authority is restored to the church as it was originally intended, it will free both men and women to be all that God created them to be. Authority will be exercised in love, not anger, and those who are under truly loving authority will be the most free people on the earth.
It is apparent that the man did have a leadership role before the Fall because the command to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge was given to the man. But there is a difference in "leading" and "ruling." Even though they were to rule over the creation, it seems that it was not originally intended for men to rule over other men or women. Because of the Fall, the harmony had been broken. Rulership had to be established to keep the creation from falling into complete chaos until there could be a restoration from the Fall.
Rulership is now needed to keep order. Even so, true authority that is working for the redemption and restoration of man is demonstrated by love. It is not domineering, though it may at times be decisive and steadfast. It is liberating when authority is exercised for the sake of those under it. This type of authority is rare, even in the church. Even so, we must pursue true authority until it is recovered. That is why we are told in Ephesians 5:22-28:
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.
So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife love himself.
The marriage relationship was intended to be a reflection of the love and union between Christ and His church. Until the relationship between men and women has been restored to this, redemption will not be fully worked into our lives.
The woman was taken out of man's side because that was the place she was to have, beside him. They were created differently in many ways and to have different roles, but this did not make one more important than the other. Men were created to carry the burden of certain types of authority, while women have more authority than men in other areas. Even so, authority in the kingdom of God is for serving, not being served. Our goal must be to become the families that truly reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. Then men will look at Christian men and know that this was what they were created to be. Women will look at Christian women and know that this is what they were created to be. Through this, all will begin to perceive just what the Lord intended in His own relationship to the church.