Dear women, it’s okay to say ‘No’ to your husband’s request
No one likes getting a negative response. And when it’s about a married couple, it becomes even more difficult to say ‘no’ to a spouse’s request. And most women after marriage end up believing that going along with her husband’s request will be good for the marriage and will cause less disagreement or conflict. However, what they do not realise is that saying ‘yes’ all the time even when they do not really mean it can actually cause irreparable damage to the relationship. So, let’s look at six such situations where a woman should voice her opinion and say ‘no’, if required, to her husband’s request without feeling guilty.
Say ‘no’ to his request for sex if you don’t want to have sex
No one has the right, including your husband, to make you have sex with him forcefully. Non-consensual sex is an offense and even after marriage, if a husband has sex with his wife without her consent, it amounts to marital rape. A wife has every right to express her unwillingness to have intercourse even if the husband requests her to do so.
Do not share passwords of phone, bank account etc. if you don't want to
Remember, everyone deserves their personal space and if you do not want to share certain personal information like the password of your phone or bank account, it is perfectly fine. Marriage is indeed built upon trust and love, which means your spouse should trust you and asking for passwords of the phone, bank account or email id can sometimes be a sign of insecurity and lack of trust. It’s okay if you want to share the details but no one has the right to force you to share the same against your will.
A woman can support her parents even after marriage
It is a common practice in most Indian families to not take help from their married daughter. In fact, the in-laws or the husband of the woman too would rarely support the idea of their daughter-in-law or wife financially supporting her family. However, just like a son, a daughter too can take care of her parents, irrespective of whether she is married or not. And if a husband stops his wife from doing so, she should voice her opinion and say ‘no’ to such request.
Choosing family over career
It is often seen that after childbirth, it’s mostly the mother who is forced to quit her job to look after the children. It is true that a mother plays a more important role in the upbringing of a child but so does the father. If it becomes utmost necessary for one of the parents to stay at home to look after the children, the decision should be made after due considerations like who has a better job prospect, financial stability, growth etc. So, a wife has every right to say ‘no’ to her husband’s request to quit her career after marriage no matter for what reason might be.
Say ‘no’ to weird sexual request or fetish
Most people have definite sexual fetishes when it comes to getting them sexually aroused or satisfied. But if a person is not comfortable with the idea of entertaining a sexual request, she should let her husband know about her discomfort. To have a pleasurable sexual relationship, both the partners should be comfortable with each other. A woman should say ‘no’ to any such sexual request, which makes her uncomfortable.