A Chinese divorce court ordered her husband to pay his wife more than $ 7,700 in compensation for the housework she did during five years of marriage, in a historic decision that activists hope will lead to greater protections for women in China.
The Beijing court said this week that the husband was obliged to indemnify his wife because domestic work has “intangible property value” and should be considered an asset, according to Chinese media.
The decision comes amid a global debate over whether societies should do more to recognize and compensate women for the work they do at home. Studies show that, in many countries, women assume a disproportionate burden of domestic work, undermining their ambitions and career opportunities.
While some commentators in China hailed the case as a step forward, many people said the pay was inadequate, noting that full-time nannies in China earn much more.
“This is very unfair to women,” wrote a user of Weibo, a microblog site. A hashtag about the case was viewed more than 570 million times until last Wednesday.
“Let’s see who dares to be a housewife,” said another.
Women do an average of two hours and six minutes of domestic work per day in China, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, compared with 45 minutes for men.
Chinese women, who have long suffered discrimination at home and in the workplace, have been pushing in recent years for better wages and fairer treatment. Activists led campaigns against domestic violence and a small #MeToo movement spread across the country.
The legal system has become the focus of many complaints, because regulations make it difficult for women to divorce and protect property.
The Chinese government has offered some policies designed to better protect women’s rights, including a 2016 law against domestic violence. But the application of many of these laws remains inconsistent.
The Beijing court ruling followed the new rules established this year that allow people in divorce cases to seek compensation for time spent on household chores and child rearing.
The couple married in 2015. The divorce was initiated last year by her husband, who was identified only by a surname, Chen, according to news reports. The wife, whose surname is Wang, took care of the couple’s son after she and her husband started living apart in 2018.
Ms. Wang asked that the couple’s assets be divided equally and argued that she should be compensated for household chores and childcare, since she said her husband did not perform these duties, according to press reports. The case is now being appealed, although it is unclear which party initiated the appeal.
Defenders of gender equality in China said the decision affirmed the vital role that women play in the management of families. But they said it was not yet known whether the decision would lead to broader changes in the way women are treated in China.
“This recognizes their domestic work to some extent and its economic value,” said Joy Lin, a Chinese activist who promotes gender equality. “But the compensation is not at par with what it should receive and how it should be assessed.”
Albee Zhang contributed research.