Egalitarian writers often claim that male headship did not come about until after the Fall, and is, accordingly, a consequence of the Fall.

Gilbert Bilezikian writes of Adam and Eve:

Instead of meeting her desire and providing a mutually supportive and nurturing family environment, he will rule over her.… The clearest implication of this statement [Gen. 3:16], conferring rulership to Adam as a result of the fall, is that he was not Eve’s ruler prior to the fall.

And Rebecca Groothuis says:

In fact, there is no mention of either spouse ruling over the other—until after their fall into sin, when God declares to the woman that “he will rule over you” (3:16). This is stated by God not as a command, but as a consequence of their sin.

Wayne Grudem outlines the following points by way of response:

1. The order: Adam was created first, then Eve (note the sequence in Genesis 2:7 and 2:18-23; 1 Timothy 2:13).
2. The representation: Adam, not Eve, had a special role in representing the human race (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45-49; Romans 5:12-21).
3. The naming of woman: Adam named Eve; Eve did not name Adam (Genesis 2:23).
4. The naming of the human race: God named the human race “Man,” not “Woman” (Genesis 5:2).
5. The primary accountability: God called Adam to account first after the Fall (Genesis 3:9).
6. The purpose: Eve was created as a helper for Adam, not Adam as a helper for Eve (Genesis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 11:9).
7. The conflict: The curse brought a distortion of previous roles, not the introduction of new roles (Genesis 3:16).
8. The restoration: Salvation in Christ in the New Testament reaffirms the creation order (Colossians 3:18-19).
9. The mystery: Marriage from the beginning of creation was a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32-33).
10. The parallel with the Trinity: The equality, differences, and unity between men and women reflect the equality, differences, and unity in the Trinity (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Grudem, Wayne. Countering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism (p. 72). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.