Wife starts demanding money for getting intimate with ‘fat’ husband; ‘emotional abuse’ leads to divorce

In Taiwan, a man was granted a divorce after he claimed his wife had demanded money every time he requested intimacy. Despite her opposition to the divorce, the court ruled in his favour. The court considered her refusal to engage in marital relations as the primary reason behind granting the divorce, according to SETN, a local TV station.

Taiwan's divorce rate reached 0.218% in 2023, ranking among the highest in Asia.

Hao and Xuan, pseudonyms used for reporting, married in 2014 and had two children. According to Hao, their intimacy dwindled to once a month in 2017 and stopped completely in 2019, without any explanation from Xuan.

Hao reported that Xuan criticised him to their relatives, calling him "too fat" and "incompetent". In 2021, he sought a divorce, but Xuan vowed to improve their relationship. Trusting her, Hao withdrew the divorce request and transferred their property to her name.

The man claimed that Xuan kept up the emotional abuse and started demanding around ₹1,250 whenever he wanted to have sex or talk to her. Hao mentioned that when he filed for divorce again in 2024. They did not speak in two years, using a messaging app only when necessary. Marriage counselling also failed to help them.

The judge approved Hao's request, citing an irreparable and “cold” relationship. Despite Xuan's desire to stay married and her appeal to a higher court, her plea was denied. Similar situations have occurred in Taiwan.

Similar incident

In 2014, a woman in Taiwan began charging her truck driver husband around ₹5,000 for sex. She also set fees for conversations and meals, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. She justified this by stating he didn't financially support the family.

Their children adopted a similar stance, insisting their father pay to speak with them. The couple visited the police station, where the husband consented to provide around ₹50,000 monthly to his family, SCMP added.