I had to explain to a 24-year-old man why I didn’t want to be a trad wife. It’s exhausting

September 30, 2026 — 7:30pm

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Mosquitoes bit my legs while I stood, listening to a man my age politely explain how he wanted a trad wife. This man, a Polish 24-year-old working remotely as a coder in Thailand, the same holiday destination as mine, at the same accommodation and doing the same fitness camp, said he was saving as much money as he could so he could one day fully support a family.

“If I invest my money well and don’t spend it, I can afford it,” he explained.

I replied: “I would hate that, relying on someone financially.”

He stared awkwardly at me and said he disagreed because, as a man, he felt that was an imperative role.

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“I want my wife to stay at home and look after the family,” he said, resolutely.

We stood there quietly for a bit. Despite clearly having things in common, I couldn’t think of anything else to say, and by now, my legs were covered in bites. I went back to my hut and we didn’t speak again for the rest of the trip.

Maybe our difference of opinion was cultural. But in such a globalised society,........

© The Sydney Morning Herald