Wives in France no longer need to make excuses to avoid sex in their marriages. Lawmakers have introduced a new law that removes what is known as conjugal rights. This means married couples are not required to have sexual relations, and a lack of sex can no longer be used as a reason for divorce.
The new law is meant to protect spouses, especially women, from pressure or guilt about intimacy. Supporters say it challenges old beliefs that wives owe their husbands sex simply because they are married. The law also reinforces that consent matters at all times, even in marriage.
For many years, courts in France treated a refusal of sex as a failure of marital duty. This new rule changes that idea and supports personal choice and bodily autonomy.
Some people praise the law for promoting respect and equality in relationships. Others argue that marriage includes emotional and physical connection and worry that this could weaken the meaning of marriage.
The law does not prevent couples from being intimate. It only makes clear that no one is forced to be. Marriage is now legally seen as a partnership based on mutual agreement instead of obligation.
This change reflects larger conversations happening around the world about consent, relationships, and personal rights.