KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Only about half of the Malaysian women in a nationwide survey said they could decide to refuse to have sex with their spouse or partner, while others said they could not say “no” due to reasons such as believing it is their duty in a marriage.

In the nationwide study, the top three most common reasons for Malaysian women who felt they cannot refuse to have sex with their spouse or partner were: marital duty; religious beliefs; and fear of causing their partner to be angry.

This study is the first nationally-distributed survey in Malaysia to look at how far Malaysian women are able to make decisions about their own body, which means that the 1,004 female respondents matches Malaysia’s population demographics such as age, ethnicity and location.

The survey polled both Muslim and non-Muslim women, and the 1,004 women were categorised according to three marital status (Married, 61 per cent; single, 33 per cent; divorced/ separated/ widowed at five per cent).

What the research found 

Muslim women’s advocacy group SIS Forum (Malaysia), which commissioned this study that was made possible through the European Union’s support, today launched the survey’s report, “Bodily Autonomy in Malaysia: Perceptions and Experiences Across Women’s Life Stages (18-65+) “.

In the survey, of the 682 Malaysian women who are either married or in a sexual relationship, 52 per cent said they could refuse sexual activity with their spouse or partner.

The survey found that less Malay and Muslim women (both at 44 per cent) said they could refuse sex, as compared to higher proportions among women who are Indian (74 per cent), Chinese (73 per cent) or from other religions (Christianity, 71 per cent; Hinduism, 71 per cent; Buddhism, 69 per cent) who said they could refuse sex.

In the study, those who earned more and had higher education levels also reported being able to say “no” to sex: those with tertiary education (58 per cent) as compared with secondary education (36 per cent); those who earn RM3,000 or more per month (57 per cent) as compared with those whose monthly income is below RM3,000 (43 per cent).

For the 517 women in the survey who chose to explain why they felt they could not say “no” to sex, 68 per cent cited marital duty, 59 per cent (religious beliefs), 14 per cent (fear of causing spouse’s or partner’s anger).

The study highlighted that for women who felt it was their marriage duties to have sex, there was a higher proportion of those who gave these reasons in rural areas (81 per cent), in the 25 to 34 age group (77 per cent), or if they are Malay (73 per cent) or Muslim (72 per cent).

”These patterns are most pronounced among Malay and Muslim women, rural women, and those with lower incomes and less formal education,” the report said.

As for those who feared incurring their spouse’s or partner’s anger, this reason was given by 26 per cent of Chinese women and 25 per cent of the Indian women surveyed, as compared to 12 per cent of Malay women.

The survey actually also included 92 men in Malaysia aged between 18 to 65, which is not statistically representative of Malaysia’s population but meant to provide contextual insights on the society’s attitude towards women’s bodily autonomy.

The survey found that the men actually had similar reasons as the women for why they could not refuse sex to their spouse or partner: marital duty (67 per cent), due to religious reasons (59 per cent), fear of making their spouse or partner angry (27 per cent).

The report indicated a need to shift the social and religious norms that frame sexual compliance as a marital obligation, instead of an individual choice.

Why does this matter? 

Being able to say no to sex is actually one of three indicators that would affect Malaysia’s overall bodily autonomy score (or the score that measures the proportion of women who can make their own decisions about these three points).

While Malaysian women in this study scored high on being able to decide their own healthcare and use of contraceptives, its relatively lower score on being able to say “no” to sex dragged down its bodily autonomy score.

According to the study’s report, Malaysia’s overall bodily autonomy score for women is 45 per cent, which is well below the global average of 55 per cent and the East Asia and Southeast Asia average of 76 per cent.

At 45 per cent, this puts Malaysia just above the poorest-faring regions on women’s bodily autonomy score, namely Middle Africa (36 per cent), Western Africa (38 per cent), Central and Southern Asia (43 per cent).

The study said this shows that closing the gap in women’s bodily autonomy will require “targeted action on sexual autonomy within intimate relationships — including the norms, legal frameworks, and institutional practices that currently constrain it”.

For the 1,004 women in this survey carried out from September to October 2025, the breakdown according to ethnicity is Malay (62 per cent), Chinese (21 per cent), Indian (four per cent), other Bumiputera (10 per cent).

The breakdown according to the women’s religion is Islam (67 per cent), Christianity (16 per cent), Buddhism (12 per cent), Hinduism (two per cent), and no religion (two percent).