Men and women in society
I searched under "roles of men and women in society" and found nothing, so my question is as follows: WELS’ position on the doctrine of the role of women, as found on this link (https://wels.net/about-wels/what-we-believe/doctrinal-statements/man-and-woman-roles/) says, “6. We reject the opinion that male headship and female submission apply only to marriage or only to marriage and the church (1 Co 11:3; 1 Ti 2:12).” According to the statement above, women are subject to the headship of men in marriage, in the church, and in society. Does that mean a woman cannot hold a secular job (department headship in a college/university, civic headship over government employees, CEO/VP in industry/agriculture/science, president/congressperson/judge/governor/mayor/etc., for example) in which she has men in positions below her? Can WELS members vote for female political leaders? Should a WELS man take a secular job under the authority of a woman?
The same document that you referenced also states this in the “In the World” section:
“20. Christians also accept the biblical role relationship principle for their life and work in the world (1 Co 11:3; Eph 5:6-17). Christians seek to do God’s will consistently in every area of their lives. We will therefore strive to apply this role relationship principle to our life and work in the world.
“21. Scripture leaves a great deal to our conscientious Christian judgment as we live the role relationship principle in the world. In Christian love we will refrain from unduly binding the consciences of the brothers and sisters in our fellowship. Rather, we will encourage each other as we seek to apply this principle to our lives in the world.
“22. Because the unregenerate world is not motivated by the Gospel or guided by God’s will (1 Co 2:14), we as Christians will not try to force God’s will upon the world (1 Co 5:12). We will seek to influence and change the world by our Gospel witness in word and deed (Mk 16:15; Mt 5:16).
“Conscientious Christian judgment” will go a long way in answering your three questions.
In “Man and Woman in God’s World,” our church body states this: “The headship principle is equally valid in society, since this principle is part of God’s unchanging will for men and women in their relationships with one another. The Bible, however, does not make direct application of the headship principle in society as it does in marriage and the church. For that reason we need to avoid making applications that may lead us to say more than Scripture says. There is no scriptural mandate or model, for example, asserting that a Christian woman may never hold a position of leadership in secular society. Nor do Christian men have biblical warrant to assume that they dare never be placed in a position where a women will have authority over them in business or politics.”