This article intends to explore the question: Is the authority granted to men over women, in almost all Muslim countries, clearly stated in the Koran? The article first goes through the source text, Koranic commentary and translations, clarifying problematics before proposing avenues for further research. Based on the hypothesis that the meaning of sacred texts is never entirely translated, and that the canonical translation is but one interpretation among many, we believe that translations, as idiosyncratic readings, may be an interesting heuristic tool. Indeed, we posit that if the divergence of translations (which may be due to each translator's particular reading objectives, hypotheses on meaning, and the way in which their translation implicates itself in the greater discourse) can unfold the source text's meaning, the translations' convergence can provide insight into societies, for instance on societal conceptions of women and their place in Koranic discourse and the social structure.