In a historic court ruling, a woman was awarded $35,000 for unpaid household work within her marriage — a staggering five times her initial request of $6,800. The decision has been welcomed as a landmark ruling, acknowledging the economic value of domestic labour in divorce rulings.
The woman protested that her unpaid domestic work had made a considerable contribution to the well-being of the household and helped her partner’s career achievement. The court recognized that household tasks are usually ignored in the financial calculations in the course of separations and ruled to award her much greater compensation.
Legal specialists are predicting that this judgment has the potential to become a precedent, so that courts across the world start to rethink the financial value of household labor, particularly during divorce cases. “This is a long-overdue acknowledgment of unseen labor,” explained one lawyer who specializes in family law.
The ruling has created discussions on social media concerning gender norms and devaluing unpaid work, with the majority praising the verdict as moving in the right direction towards parity in divorce splits.
