Speak to almost any parent and they’ll be able to tell you that raising a child is no easy task. Imagine having to do that and also take care of a home, all without seeing a single penny for your work?
It’s a reality a lot of stay-at-home parents face, and some are starting to get fed up, demanding payment from their ex-spouses for their efforts.
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A court order in China has potentially set a new precedent.
A man named Tan must pay compensation to his ex-wife, Wang, for all the extra housework and childcare duties she did while they were married for seven years.
Tan will have to pay his wife Wang 30,000 yuan, which comes out to about $4490.
Wang was a full-time housewife during their marriage.
She was the primary caregiver to their son as well.
“Wang did all the housework including laundry, cooking, childcare, and shopping, so she demanded compensation from him,” said a law clerk from the courthouse, “But Mr. Tan did not recognize the significance of housework — he did not feel like she contributed much in the relationship in financial terms.”
This case has people truly divided.
Debates have been taking place across the Chinese social media app Weibo about this case, with many people believing the compensation she received was not enough. They even had a hashtag that translated to “full-time housewife compensated 30,000 for housework” which received over 230 million views.
Tons of users were standing up for Wang.
“What I’ve learned from this is that women really should take better care of themselves. Don’t do housework for free. Make the man do some,” wrote one user.
“If you hired a nanny, 30,000 yuan wouldn’t be enough to cover even one year,” another pointed out.
This isn’t the first time a Chinese court has made this type of ruling either.
In early 2021 , another man was ordered to compensate his ex-wife 50,000 yuan, or $7479, for unpaid labor as well.
Statistics show that Chinese women spend nearly 2.5 times more time per day on unpaid housework compared to Chinese men, and it seems they’re finally demanding some sort of remuneration for their work!
h/t: Insider
