No ring, no duties Side chicks draw the line

She never wanted to be his wife. Yet she washed his clothes, shared his bed, lived with him and eventually had his child. But when the married man’s expectations began to resemble those of a husband, she drew the line, insisting there was a difference between helping by choice and being treated as though she owed him wife-like duties.

Kim’s* story is one of several shared by women who have spent time in relationships as the “side piece”. Far from plotting to replace wives or secure rings, many said they entered these relationships with no desire for wife status at all. Instead, they described arrangements governed by unwritten rules, mutual understanding, and a firm belief that certain responsibilities belonged to wives, not girlfriends on the side.

“My side piece role is simple,” said Kay*. “Just be there for me when I’m sexually frustrated.”