Equality
Partners in a relationshipRelationshipWhen 2 people are in a relationship, they have a bond with each…Read more are not 2 identical persons. They are not the same, but have equal rights. This means that the boundaries and choices of each partnerPartnerPerson you are in a relationship with.Read more are respected.
A relationship often does not feel right when the limits of one of the partners are not respected.
Equal partners can help each partner to feel positive about himself or herself:
- They do not use force against each other (they do not feel that they have more value than the other person);
- They do not need the approval or opinion of the other about everything (they do not think they have less value than the other).
A couple talking as equals
Equal partners carry equal responsibility in a relationship. For example: they decide together whether they want to have children or not (family planningFamily planningWhen you plan your family, you decide whether, when and how many children…Read more) and if or what kind of contraception they want to use.
Sometimes inequality can lead to partner violence or sexually abusive behaviourSexually abusive behaviourSexual behaviour that is not okay. Sex should be pleasurable and feel good.…Read more.
A woman and a man talking in bed about contraception