The telegraph
China awards £ 5,400 compensation to women in first divorce decision to value domestic work
A divorce court in China ordered a man to pay his wife £ 5,500 in compensation for the housework she did during her five-year marriage, in what is believed to be a legal framework in the first place. The Fangshan District Court in Beijing ruled in favor of the woman, who complained that her husband “did not care or participate in any type of domestic work,” according to China Women’s News, the official publication of the All newspaper. – China Women’s Federation. Every day, the husband went out to work leaving her to look after her son and do all the housework, said the woman, who was identified in state media reports by her surname, Wang. The decision, which effectively attributes a monetary value to domestic work. The court ordered Wang’s husband, identified as Chen, to pay 50,000 yuan for neglecting his share of household chores. Such a judgment was made possible through a new civil code, which came into force at the beginning of the year. The new provisions allow the spouse who has more responsibilities in caring for children or elderly relatives, or in unpaid domestic work, to claim compensation from the partner in the event of divorce. Both parties must negotiate the value between them, but if they do not reach an agreement, a court can decide for them. Feng Miao, the presiding judge, told Chinese media that although dividing a couple’s assets often involves “tangible property … domestic work can constitute an intangible property value” and helps to promote “the other spouse’s personal growth and the chances of getting more education. ” The court also ruled that Wang and Chen’s property should be divided equally between them. He granted Wang custody of his son and ordered Chen to pay 2,000 yuan (£ 220) in monthly child support. The sentence is being appealed, although it is not clear whether Chen or Wang initiated the appeal. He Xin, a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong, said he was not surprised by the decision. “China is a country that has wonderful legal principles on gender equality, so I don’t think it’s strange or unexpected if some judges decide according to the law,” said Professor He. The problem is that in practice, he said, there is systematic prejudice against women in matters of divorce, including the division of assets and custody of children. “China is not really a society with gender equality … so, to grant a divorce, for example, generally the majority of plaintiffs are women, they want to divorce, but if men resist, in the first petition the court usually rejects the petition for divorce, regardless of whether there is domestic violence, ”he added. Women in China used social media to show support for the decision – but said the compensation for years of domestic work was too small. “If she were a hard worker, she could earn more than that amount in half a year,” wrote one of them. “The price of being a full-time mother is job opportunities, social experiences, time, networking and so on,” said another. “50,000 yuan is very little.” Another said the decision was, at the very least, “a good start”, and hopes that this means that the needs of full-time mothers will receive more attention. Chinese society still expects wives to do most of the housework, raise children and care for family members, a notion that was driven by President Xi Jinping, who called on women to “take on the responsibilities of caring for the elderly and of young people “. Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong