Man asked to pay $7,700 to wife for housework in landmark divorce ruling

In what is being lauded as a first of kind ruling, a divorce court in China has asked a man to pay 50,000 yuan or $7,700 to his now ex-wife as compensation for housework during their five-year marriage. 

The ruling is based on a new civil code where a person may demand compensation from their partner during a divorce if they were the primary carer for children or elderly parents, or did most of the unpaid household work.

The wife told the court that she was the sole caretaker of their child and the husband “didn’t care about or participate in any kind of chores.”

The case has stirred a debate on Chinese social media about the financial worth of housework.