Court in China orders man to pay $7,700 to wife for 'housework' in landmark divorce case

A civil court in China on Tuesday asked a man to pay his ex-wife $7,700 in compensation for the ‘housework’ after the two landed in court for the divorce. According to the state-run China National Radio (CNR), the prosecutor, under PRC’s new civil code, ruled that the divorcing spouse must pay his former wife for her housekeeping and childcare ‘obligations’ in a verdict that has stirred a fresh debate on country’s laws that are biased with respect to household duties. The Chinese woman named Wang had demanded restitution worth $24,700 from her husband for undertaking ‘extra family and housework responsibilities’, sole custody of their child, plus the alimony, calculated per month after she filed for divorce in a district court.

In a court docket, the ex-wife alleged that in course of her 5 years of marriage, she took care of the child, and performed daily household chores independently, while her husband had no contribution in equally dividing the responsibilities due to his job. She alleged, that the man has “no-worry” about the domestic family affairs and remained focused professionally. As per the Feb. 4 court document, cited by CNR, the woman sought additional compensation for ‘manual labour’ she performed around the house. In a hearing, the prosecutor ordered that the man split his property and pay Wang $7,700 as ‘household compensation’, and an additional $300 per month as alimony. 

Read: Chinese Official Calls For 'joint Efforts' In China-US Trade

Read: China Says Iran Nuclear Issue At 'critical Point'

Financial aid to 'unemployed'

In addition to that, the district court handed the custody of the couple’s son to the woman. The verdict, according to the state-run press, was widely challenged by the activities that questioned the fundamental rights of both individuals. Chinese social media, raising objection to the court’s ruling launched a hashtag that has amassed close to  500 million shares. While some users, who leaned towards the woman for her household struggles, supported the prosecutor’s February ruling, others condemned it citing gender roles, alleging that the man’s role in the household may have been totally neglected.

Several others questioned the man over his patriarchal practices. Meanwhile, China’s household compensation law aims to provide financial aid to the divorced spouses who have sacrificed their careers to attend to children and home keeping, such as Wang, who reportedly does not have a job. Moreover, a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that unemployed Chinese women dedicated more than 4 hours in unpaid household labour, twice as much as men attributed in their professional commitments. 

Read: Hong Kong Govt Proposes New Oath Requiring All Lawmakers To 'love' China: Report

Read: 'ITBP To Strengthen Short & Long-range Patrolling, BOPs On Full Deployment': DG Deswal