Ahmedabad: A 30-year-old woman approached the Abhayam 181 women helpline on Friday to report alleged harassment by her husband. When a team reached the spot, they learned that the woman wanted to pursue higher studies to support the family, but her husband did not agree with her decision."The woman told us that she had studied up to Class 12. She fell in love with her husband as a teen, and soon they tied the knot. The marriage, raising a child and responsibilities of managing a household meant that she could not continue her studies. Her mother-in-law, a retired govt employee, too started living with the couple," said a counsellor.

All was well for a few years with the husband working as a marketing executive with a firm. But the financial crunch was real and the woman worked as a beautician and took up sewing jobs to make ends meet, the counsellor added."She said that while the household was functioning with her husband's salary and her mother-in-law's pension, she was worried about her daughter's future expenses. She also had a few disagreements over financial matters due to her dependence on her husband for expenses. She thought getting a Bachelor's degree would improve her job prospects," the helpline official said. The husband, however, refused to pay for her studies insisting that she look after the household chores. "Both husband and wife were counselled," said the official.