In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

In Islam, the status of women is unique and unprecedented. Islam does care about women's honor, dignity and welfare. Therefore, the Islamic rules and regulations pertaining to women are meant to protect her honor and to better suit her nature.

In his response to the question you posed, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Fiqh Council ofNorth America , states:

The most important principle in Islam is that women should be properly dressed with Hijab and men and women should not mix and intermingle. Non-Mahram men and women should not be alone with each other. As long as these rules are fully observed, Muslim women can be leaders. There is no prohibition for them to take a leading position.

Leadership in Islam is based on the ability and qualifications for the job. If a woman is qualified for a job and can do it well, she can be chosen for the position. Allah says in the Qur'an, (The Believing men and Believing women are protective friends to each other. They command what is good and forbid what is evil…) (At-Tawbah 9: 71). One cannot "command and forbid" without having some kind of a leading position. A woman can be a doctor, teacher, principal of a school, lawyer, scholar, mufti, judge, ambassador, administrator, head of a company etc. She can be an Imam of the prayers also if the congregation is of women only.

However, in a congregation of males and females both, the Imam should be a man, because the Imam has to stand in front of the worshippers. Some scholars are of the opinion that a woman should not be the Head of an Islamic State, because the Head of the Islamic State is also an ideal Imam who is supposed to lead the Friday and `Eid prayers and be the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Islam also emphasizes that women should pay special attention to their homes and the mothers should not neglect their children. Wives are therefore not responsible to earn for the household expenses. It is the duty of their husbands or the men of the family to provide for their wives and other women. This emphasis places some restrictions on women, but they are not forbidden to work outside their homes, if they know and observe their primary duties.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://www.isna.net

Read also:
Women Holding Public Positions
Can a Woman Be a Nation’s Leader?