In landamark ruling, China orders Husband to pay his Wife for Household work

In a landmark judgement that is sure to have positive ripples across the planet, a divorce court in China ordered that the man should pay his wife for the household work she had done during the time they were married. The court rightly called the woman's work done to keep the house running as unpaid labour and directed the man to give $7,700 to his wife for the five years she had toiled in his house.

The case has sparked an online debate and many people believe that though the court decision is a step in the right direction, the compensation given to the woman might be lesser than she deserves.

According to a report in BBC, the man had filed for divorce and his wife brought forth the argument that she had single-handedly done all the housework and also at the same time, took care of their son.

The court then ruled in the favour of the woman, in accordance with the new civil code that has been enacted across China recently. The new laws entitle a woman to ask for compensation during divorce for bearing a higher responsibility in raising of a child, caring for elderly relatives and assisting in other work around the house.

The amount of compensation, however, is seen as trifle by many netizens where it was pointed that hiring a nanny for one year would cost the same as the amount ordered for the divorcing wife for the five years of hard work she had done during the time she was married.

While courts in China traditionally did not give space for compensation to women who were being divorced in case they could not produce a prenuptial arrangement mentioning the same, the new civil code has done away with the archaic and patriarchal thought. This paves way for equality for women who have often been marginalised and forced into working without pay in their own households, often robbing them of opportunities of pursuing a career outside their homes.

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