A man has been ordered to pay his wife £5k compensation for housework in their divorce battle

Virgin Radio

27 Feb 2021, 11:39

This has turned into an expensive divorce for a man in China. He's been ordered by a divorce court to compensate his wife for the housework that she did during their five years of marriage. 

The ex-wife will receive 50,000 Chinese yuan (£5,460) for five years of unpaid labour, according to the 

It's a landmark case in Beijing, and it's believed to be the first to set a monetary worth for domestic labour from a spouse.

A new civil code which came into effect last month. 

The decision means a spouse can get compensation from their partner during their divorce, but only if they had more domestic responsibility during the marriage.

The "domestic responsibility" also includes raising children and caring for elderly relatives.

The husband filed for divorce in May 2020.

The ex-wife applied for financial compensation, saying her husband did not shoulder domestic and childcare responsibility.

Beijing's Fangshan District Court ruled in her favour. Her ex-husband now also has to pay her a monthly alimony of 2,000 yuan (£218), as well as the one-off payment of 50,000 yuan.

New research shows women have typically shouldered the biggest additional burden throughout lockdon when it comes to housework.

A campaign has been launched by Family Action and Red Letter Days. They aim to reclaim 100,000 hours of "mumpaid" labour on behalf of hard-working mums before Mother's Day 2021.

They want to improve maternal mental health, encourage families to spend quality time together, and showing parents that their efforts over the last year haven't gone unnoticed.

Christine Ducker at Red Letter Days, says: "We want the nation to help us claim back 100,000 hours of 'mumpaid labour', so that those who've worked so tirelessly this year can enjoy some well-deserved time for themselves.

"If you've been juggling childcare, work responsibilities and the health of family members, we also encourage you to use this campaign to take time out to do something you love."