China Divorce Court Passes Landmark Ruling By Asking A Man To Pay Wife For Housework And Raising Their Child

China Divorce Court Passes Landmark Ruling By Asking A Man To Pay Wife For Housework And Raising Their Child

There was a time, still is rather, when women were only supposed to cook, clean and raise children. Thanks to the oppression of the patriarchal society, this work that they did was not considered, let alone appreciated. All this might sound archaic but this still happens all over the world. Homemakers aren’t paid, they aren’t even thanked for their contribution. It’s considered a woman’s duty to serve the house and her man. But at the same time, it’s optional for a man to help out in the house. He could very well sit on his ass and watch TV while his wife runs from pillar to post to keep the house clean and get food on the table. However, in a landmark ruling, a divorce court in China ordered a man to pay his wife for the household work she had done while they were married. Let’s hope this ruling is successful in setting the kind of precedent we need in our country.

A divorce court in China has passed a landmark ruling by ordering a man to pay his wife for all the household chores and the time she spent raising their son during the five years they were married. The court called the woman’s tireless work to keep the house clean and running smoothly unpaid labour. It ordered the man to pay his ex-wife $7,700 for the five years she spent doing household work. Now, this is what I call a step in the right direction!

According to reports, the man had filed for divorce from his wife after five years of being married. His wife brought forth the argument that she single-handedly had been doing all the household work and raising their son at the same time. In accordance with the new civil code that has been enacted across China recently, the court ruled in favour of the woman. You see, this new civil code entitles women to ask for compensation during divorce proceedings for taking on additional responsibilities of raising a child, taking care of elders or doing all the household chores. We need a law like this one in India.

Also Read: Himachal Pradesh Court Said Women Aren’t “Cattle” But Autonomous Beings With Rights

However, this case sparked an online debate. Everyone agrees it was a step in the right direction but some people think that the compensation allotted to the woman was extremely trifle. While I agree that for the efforts the wife put in for five years, the compensation amount is negligible I also feel like this is a battle where baby steps are important. At least this Chinese court has recognized the woman’s efforts and ordered her ex-husband to compensate her. In India, we are lucky if we get a ‘thank you’ for all the work we single-handedly do around the house.

These new laws in China break free from patriarchy and pave the way for equality. Women who are often forced into doing all the household work and robbed of the choice and opportunity to go venture outside the confines of their house and build a career are finally getting recognized and paid for their efforts.

I cannot stress this enough, we need a law like this in India!

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/man-divorce-wife-habit-of-chewing-tobacco-high-court-not-a-valid-reason/

Mitali Shah

Read More From Mitali
Seen it all?

We’ve got more!