Pro Tip for Men: Only Enthusiastic Consent is Consent. Here Is a Guide:

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21. Women are typically raised to not speak in direct, assertive ways and to

avoid hurting other people's feelings by asserting their own rights or demands. Especially in a situation in which the woman is still hoping to maintain a pleasant relationship, she might well use less forceful or direct ways of saying she is not willing.

In English, and most especially in American English, the subjunctive mood has almost completely disappeared, because we Americans tend toward direct, blunt assertions rather than polite circumlocutions, but in many other languages the subjunctive is far more common in polite discourse.

When Americans say in a Spanish restaurant, "Quiero una Coca-Cola," they sound rude and demanding. The polite way is to say, "Quisiera una Coca-Cola"-- i.e., "I should like a Coca-Cola."

When interacting with men, many women find it hard to say directly, "I want/don't want ***." Instead, they use a more "polite" way of expressing their own wishes or needs, sort of like the use of the subjunctive in polite discourse in other languages.

Also, it is very common for someone who feels weaker or in a more vulnerable position to avoid direct challenges to the demands of a stronger person who has demonstrated a willingness to aggressively push boundaries.

This is true in all social situations, not just sexual ones. If one's boss says, "I assume you don't mind coming in on Saturday," a vulnerable employee is likely to indicate unwillingness indirectly, in a way similar to the way many women try to indicate that they don't want men to keep putting moves on them.