Man Had To Pay Ex-Wife Rs 5.57 Lakh For Housework And Childcare

A man was ordered to pay his ex-wife a compensation of $7,700 (Rs 5.57 lakh) for doing housework and taking care of their child in their five-year marriage.

The ruling, by a Chinese judge, has drawn a lot of attention from the public as it’s among the first divorce cases in the country to put a monetary value on the wife’s work at home. Judge Feng Miao said:

“Housework can create intangible assets. For example, the other spouse may be able to enhance their personal skills or acquire higher education. These cannot be reflected in tangible assets.” 

In the ruling, the judge cited the new civil code of China, stating that a divorcee is entitled to claim compensation for taking care of the elderly or children.

The couple, Mr. Chen and Mrs. Wang, got married in 2015 and has one son together. Since their separation in 2018, the man filed for a divorce three times, the first of which was withdrawn while the second was turned down for unspecified reasons.

At first, Wang refused to be divorced in a hearing at the Fangshan District Court in Beijing. Then, she demanded $25,000 in compensation, saying that she did the housework and cared for their child during the marriage. According to Wang, she also provided a financial contribution to Chen’s mother’s apartment renovation and he had lived with another woman when they were still married.

The judge granted the divorce and they were ordered to split the shared assets evenly. Wang got custody of the child with $310 of monthly child support and $7,700 compensation for the housework during the marriage.

Beijing News reported that Wang has filed an appeal against the ruling.

Women in China, like those in many parts of the world, are expected to be responsible for most of the housework and childcare in the family. While the compensation is considered a recognition of the house labor value, many people say $7,700 does not match the workload of a housewife.

“Housewives’ work is undervalued. It costs more to hire a domestic helper in Beijing for a year,” a user wrote on Weibo.

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