What If I Am Tired Of The ‘Supporting Role’ And Want A ‘Lead Role’ In My Marriage?

A wife’s role in a marriage is always supportive, even in a good marriage. Why so? I would like to do things that make me happy, too!

I am a ‘happily married’ young Indian woman just like a lot of you out there. My husband is liberal, we tend to share workloads at home and things are pretty fine between us. But I slowly start thinking about the so called ‘fairness’ of it all. Overthinking, am I?

We were colleagues in the same office and dated for two and a half years before we got married. A few months post marriage, we left Kolkata as he got an offer in Delhi. I stayed put with the organization as they had a branch in Delhi as well. However, I was relieved that I too had the chance to finally look for another job. Yes, you can blame me for sticking to a job I hated for almost four years because I met HIM there and didn’t want to ‘lose’ him. I sound so desperate, right?

After finally changing jobs and working for over a year in finance (and maintaining my personal blog simultaneously), I realized that I’d finally found my passion. And it was Creative Writing. I love to write. Whenever I don’t find clarity in my mind, whenever I want to voice an opinion, or whenever an incident or inspiration begs me to spin it into a story, I just write it down. I find writing cathartic.

But I’ve caused a ‘slight inconvenience’ in our marital life in the process. See, so far I was the ‘supportive’ partner who would let her man take the lead role. But now I wanted to play the lead role in my story. I wanted to be a writer. Like, not only write in my free time but also take it up as a profession. I wanted a break from my work. My husband explained how that’d be a problem to run the family given the fact that other than groceries, etc. we have to travel and we have a few pets as well. Fair enough, I thought.

And anyway, writing is such a subjective thing. What if I never become an established author? The insecurity will be too much to bear so I decided to work and write in my free time.

Now comes another problem, being the career driven person, my husband wants to move abroad for his job. I don’t want to leave my financial independence and accompany him. Moreover, since my work offers me the flexibility I want to work from a remote corner of India where I’m surrounded by nature. I have the money to afford a rented accommodation in one of the small hill towns. I can work and write and lead a life of spiritual pursuit. I love to mediate and practice Buddhism.

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He looks at me with that look that makes me feel guilty. “So, you’ll not live with me?”

“This is just a possibility in case you move abroad.” I say.

This has not happened yet but I understand how he might not be happy with this outcome. This also makes me question whether he gives much importance to my dreams. For example, if I want to take a course in writing he says we should be better off saving for that International holiday. I need to read books, a lot of them in fact. Firstly, because I’m a voracious reader and secondly because I want to be a writer and reading is the best way to learn.

Sometimes, I also feel like indulging in a bit of cosmetics. Mind you, I pay for all the household expenses equally and only after everything is paid for, do I do a bit of ‘shopping for myself’.

He’d subtly hint as to how he doesn’t indulge in any such pursuits.

When I wish to learn Zumba or take a foreign language class, he’d say how our annual international trips are more important.

“But we can roam around in India within our budget and I can still pursue things that are of my interest. There are so many beautiful places here!” I exclaim.

“Oh it’s not the same thing.” He pulls a long face.

Mind you, he never forces his ideas on me. But in his passive aggressive manner he says things that makes me feel incredibly guilty to spend money on myself or on furthering my dreams of writing.

I just want to ask a few things.

What is the role, we women play in marriages? Are we always expected to be the supportive partner who will nurture their husbands’ lives and help them with their success?

What if I don’t want to be just a woman behind a man’s success? Why is my success secondary to his success?

What if I too want to come to the forefront and be a Success myself?

Am I being too selfish when I think like this?

Can’t I choose my own life just because I am with a nice man in a ‘happy marriage’?

Don’t I have a say in the path I wish to choose for myself INDEPENDENT of what my partner does?

Some people might call these frivolous problems but this article was not meant for you guys. Sorry for wasting your time. For the rest of the readers, though I am in a healthy relationship I want to do things that make me happy. Am I wrong in thinking that way? I will be glad to know what you people think.

Thank you.

Image source: watching the sunset together by Shutterstock.

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