‘Wives, submit yourselves’ – and the word is submit, not obey. As a matter of fact, nowhere in the Bible are wives told to obey their husbands.
Is leadership contrary to the nature of women outside the church in general? And the answer to that, I believe is: not necessarily. Not in terms of intellectual leadership or administration. But if it is the kind of leadership which requires considerable assertion, and strength, and personal domination, then I believe it would be contrary to the nature of a woman and her gifts, not because she is intrinsically inferior. She could probably do it very well indeed, and better than many men; but it would still be inappropriate, and contrary to her sensitivities and very special gifts. It will place her under enormous strain and hurt her; and it could even in some degree bend her personality, if it was the kind of leadership that required assertion, and domination and control. That would be very unwise for women to take on, though at times, they may have to, as in the churches in times of persecution. In the Soviet Union, up until about 1989, before which all the leading men had been taken away or put in prison, the women took over, and they did it very well. But it was inappropriate for them to continue with that when their husbands came back.