Court supports woman's compensation demands for housework

A woman's request for compensation of 50,000 yuan ($6,977) for the chores she did as a full-time housewife for 20 years was supported by a court in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, according to Jimu News, a news outlet based in Hubei province.

After her marriage ended, the woman surnamed Zhang filed a lawsuit with the people's court in Xiying sub-district for a divorce, the custody of her offspring and compensation from her husband surnamed Li.

Instead of bringing this case directly to the court, the people's court of Xiying sub-district arranged for a mediation conducted by the local woman's federation. After mediation, the couple reached an agreement on the divorce, the raising of their offspring and the division of property.

Li also agreed to pay Zhang the compensation she asked for the chores she did.

This caught a lot of attention on social media platforms such as Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like site in China. Many said for a full-time housewife for 20 years, the compensation seems too low.

A Weibo user named Pai Da Xing Lai Pai Fa Kuai Le commented: "Ridiculous, the expense on hiring a nanny for 20 years is much more than 50,000 yuan."

The Civil Code allows either spouse to ask for compensation if one takes the greater responsibility in household duties during marriage when they are about to get a divorce, neither in a marriage nor after divorce, said Lin An, a lawyer with Yingke Law Firm, adding there is no certain regulation or guideline about how much compensation one can ask for in the Civil Code.

Various factors including the years of marriage, the income of the spouses and the contribution one has made to the marriage need to be taken into consideration when it comes to the specific compensation, said Zhang Ying, a lawyer with Hylands Law Firm.