Should husbands and wives have access to each other's email?

juda75	My husband and I share access to each other emails and voicemails...we have nothing to hide from one another. There is no good reason to keep this info from your spouse.

Blaze	I have hubby's and hubby has mine, it's not a matter of '''''privacy''''' -to US, it is just an email, nothing to hide. Not that I check his or he checks mine, but if we want -we can. There is no 'good reason' to keep it from them other than hiding things. That is the way I see it. Good question!

Lala	I dont see why not. I'd give my husband the password to my accounts. Because what if something happened one day or an emergency situation came up and information was needed that's right on their email? Unless there's something to hide or there's a lack of trust, I dont see why they shouldnt have each other's passwords. And see, I've had the passwords to my boyfriend's emails. We were fine until they started doing things they had no business doing (i.e., cheating and/or sending emails to other girls). When I started finding "unmentionable" emails on my boyfriend's accounts THEN it became a problem & he no longer wanted me to have his password. You know that caused real problems, right?

Valerie	There is NO privacy in marriage....geez...me and my man aren't married, and even we have each others passwords.....cellphone voicemail passwords too!

~Angel~	I would think there wouldn't be anything to hide, ask if you can share it and if not then why? See where that gets you....

John Doe 1st	Speaking as half of a happy, 36 yr. married relationship, no. It's a matter of trust. Do you open your spouse's postal mail? Of course not. So, why should you assume to need to view their email? Sounds like a severe lack of trust to me. We're happy as can be, and we allow for a certain amount of personal space. I have absolutely no reason to want to view (or snoop) into any of my wife's email or postal mail.

christycricket78	I have been married 6 years and I have a very open relationship with my husband. We share each others email accounts and tell each other about people that email us. Trust and honesty are a huge key to a good marriage.

Mrs. U	Hell and no. Neither one of us has anything to hide but we believe our personal accounts are our personal business. I don't need nor want to know who he is e-mailing or why, he doesn't need nor want to know the same about mine. To me, it comes down to respect and trust. If you can't trust someone, then having access to their account isn't going to build trust. It's going to build suspicion and anxiety over little things. If something is meant to be shared or someone is interested in sharing it, they will. Otherwise, bugger off.

Big Sky 23	My fiance doesn't have access to my email accounts; I don't want her to have it and she doesn't want it. I don't have access to her email accounts; I don't want it and she doesn't want me to have it. It has absolutely nothing to do with verifying that she's not doing anything wrong. I'm not so insecure that I require a means to check up on her online activities in order to trust her, or I would never have proposed to marry her. The only reason I would want her email password is to see if she's doing something she's not supposed to; there could be no other purpose, and that means that I already suspect foul play and trust has already begun to break down between us. I don't believe that "those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing." People need space, even in a trustful, respectful, healthy relationship; that doesn't mean they're secrets, just that they are personal and private matters.

isthisthe_end	yes

royboogie	You should have access to hers without her knowledge, but don't give her yours.

poodle mom	shouldnt be a problem if there is nothing to hide...my husband and i have seperate emails, but we know each others passwords. not a problem

Kim	Sharing passwords is kind of like telling your husband here you go, check up on me anytime you like i guarantee you wont catch me doing anything wrong. If i were to hide it from him and not allow him to see anything in it, then there would be a trust issue. So yes I think a good marriage should have openness and no secrets.

nikie_atkinson	why not let them have the password? What are you trying to hide for them that's the only reason i wouldn't want to give mine to my husband but since I don't have anything to hide he knows what they are and i know what his are

yeahright	there should be some privacy left. didn't your mommy teach u that nosing into someone's private stuff is very bad manners? i have nothing to hide either. neither my husband. but i would never ever consider asking his password for emails. what for?

bellesnail	No. Trust is better than spying on each other.

Nena S	It depends...Some people share passwords and they do it because they feel comfortable, and they feel they are making their spouses know there is no hanky-panky going on.... I haven't done it... and don't think I will, because I know who I am and my partner knows me well, too. We trust each other and that is a solid base for our relationship. I agree with Courtney's answer that each person is a separate individual and if you need your privacy the other person should understand it. I do agree, however, that many people feel the need to check their spouses' accounts in order to feel reassured....Everyone is different.

ideally_rational	It's probably a good idea to share passwords, if for no other reason than if the spouse dies, or enters a coma state, or some other situation in which they were unable to handle their finances, etc. They may have automatic bill payment and other situations like that that need attention online. And if they die, the other spouse can access their contacts to let them know about the funeral. One reason not to share a password to an online store might be that that account is used for purchases of gifts for the spouse. Not all secretive behavior is hidden for infidelity reasons. But this question smells like something else...If someone appears to be conducting themselves in a suspicious manner, or has secretive behavior, then they need to be confronted and subsequently investigated if they are not candid and open.

Blunt	Privacy and trust is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. So, no, your spouse should not be wanting to snoop into their partner's bussiness. If he/she does, then there are trust issues, and that is the poison that ultimatly will corrode and destroy the relationship. Good luck

chercinbob	I think married people have to have something that each of them has of their own,, when people marry, they don't have to give up their own identity, each has to have something that's their's alone. just like, I think it's wrong for a man to go into his wife's purse & a woman to go through her husband's pants pockets. unless there if a VERY good reason to suspect funny business, you both need your own privacies.

Mrs.G	yes they should if they have nothing to hide they wont care if you have it my husband has my password

alina	i think in a healthy relationship husbands and wives should respect their spouses' privacy in certain aspects my husband knows my password but he never checks my email and i know his password but i wouldn't care if i didn't cause i've never checked it before.

ee	What if one was planning a surprise party for the other?? They should both know each other's passwords, they should just not use them.

jizzyroll	I would give mine to my husband but he knows nothing bout computors.If you give eachother your passwords then this just proves that neither one of you has anything to hide.It can only cause problems when you try to become sneaky with what you are doing.

Schwinn	The only reason to keep it secret is if they have something to hide. If you have something to hide, well...that's a whole nother problem. My husband and I always have access. No problems. We have been happily married for 28 years because we are an open book to each other.

basketcase88	I don't think it's a matter of trust here, but more a matter of personal respect for each other. I don't open my husband's mail--he doesn't open mine unless I know it's a bill that he has to deal with anyway. We won't even throw away junk mail addressed to the other. While trust is important in any marriage, respect is as well. Actually, I do have access to some of my husband's email--for the longest time he didn't want to fool with email (he's techonologically challenged), so I let him use my email address--and I forward stuff to him that he needs. He now has his own email and checks it, but I know if I asked to see it, he'd have no problem with it. I've just never asked to see it--and he's never asked to see mine either. I guess it is a trust issue, in that I trust him to not correspond with anyone or do anything via email that he knows I would not like or appreciate, and he trusts me in the same manner. I don't have to check his email to know that he's being faithful to me.

Polyhistor	If you don't trust your wife, and that is what this question indicates, then get rid of her. She needs her private space and if you start restricting it, or trying to get into it, then she will really find a private space. I have only been married for 36 years to my first wife and she has her private space and I, mine.

auntb629	here's the thing, while I agree with you that sharing passwords is a trust thing and if you love someone you should be able to trust them with that...however, my ex was going in ad deleting my e-mails while we were having troubles and then freaking out when I would get spam that he felt was inappropriate, there were many other issues, but we won't go there....when I am in a new realtionship, yes I believe I would share that info...

mktxlady	It is your job to make sure there are no insecurities with your spouse, secrets create insecurities. Why do it?: There is so much freedom in having nothing to hide from your partner. Reason enough for me.