bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Alice Yan

A court in central China has gained overwhelming applause online after it awarded a 250,000-yuan (US$35,000) divorce settlement to a woman who had sought an initial amount of just 50,000 yuan (US$6,800).
Her financial claim was based on the amount of household chores she had to do during her time with her husband.
The woman, surnamed Hu, married the man, surnamed Wang, in 2011. They had a daughter in the same year.
However, in the following years, they argued a lot, especially over what type of education their child should receive, Jimu News reported.
Since October, 2022 when Hu moved out of their house in Zhengzhou, Henan province after a fierce row with Wang, the couple has lived separately.
Hu filed a lawsuit for divorce to Zhongyuan District Court at the end of last year.

Along with the requirements for their daughter’s custody and splitting their collective property, the woman also demanded Wang to pay her 50,000 yuan in compensation her for doing household chores during their time together.
Hu, who had quit her job to devote herself to the family, said she completed lots of housework, including taking care of their daughter, while Wang did not fulfil his familial obligations.
As a result, she argued, her contributions deserved recognition and compensation, the report said.
The court announced its verdict in early March, granting custody of the daughter to Hu and ordering Wang to pay the monthly cost of bringing her up.
Also, Wang should was ordered to make a one-off payment of 250,000 yuan to Hu. The amount included payment for household chores she had done over many years.
Fu Saiya, an assistant judge, was quoted as saying that the man was surprised at the household chores payment.
“We told him that housework is intangible, but it does not mean it is valueless. Housework should be shared between a couple,” Fu said.
China’s Civil Code stipulates that one party of a couple, who shares more responsibility in attending to children and the elderly members of the family or doing other household tasks, is entitled to ask for compensation from the other party when they divorce.

“This rule confirms the value of doing housework. It is helpful to encourage family members to all participate into doing housework, impel the husband and the wife to respect each other and eliminate the discrimination for the party who completes most of the housework,” said Fu.
This verdict triggered a lively discussion on mainland social media, with many internet users supporting the court.
“Thumbs-up to the court’s wise decision,” said one online observer.
“Many men do not know that it is exhausting to do housework. I prefer to work, rather than staying at home and doing housework all day,” said another.
But another person took a different view: “We men provide a chauffeur and a bodyguard service. Is our service valuable?”


Chinese woman seeks US$6,800 for chores, divorce court awards 5 times that, sparks delight

Ex-China security guard becomes lawyer after 10 years auditing courses at Peking University

Millions praise China kindergarten guard for waltzing with girl upset by late arriving mum

Taiwan mum causes baby’s 3-toe amputation after falling asleep with hairdryer, jailed

Trending in China

A divorce court in China has awarded a woman five times as much as the US$6,800 she initially sought for all the household chores she did while with her ex-husband. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

The woman told the court that she had scrubbed and cleaned for the family for years. Photo: Shutterstock

A judge in the family court had to explain to the ex-husband that housework had inherent value. Photo: AP

A Taiwanese mother fell asleep with a hairdryer next to her baby, causing severe burns and the amputation of three toes. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

While the mother dozed off with the hairdryer on, the intense heat exposed her newborn’s legs for three hours while drying the bedsheet. Photo: Shutterstock

Post-partum psychology is becoming an increasingly significant issue in Taiwan, with the rate of post-partum depression among Taiwanese women rising to 20 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock

A kindergarten security guard in China has wowed millions of people online after he waltzed with a little girl who was upset because her mother was late in picking her up. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Children at the kindergarten love Liu, and many of them regularly give him snacks. Photo: Douyin

Liu trips the light fantastic as some adoring kindergarten children look on. Photo: Douyin

Chinese actor expresses concern over AI scams impersonating him, seeks tougher laws

Chinese actor Jin Dong has expressed concern over artificial inelligence con artists who impersonate him, and called for tougher laws to tackle such rackets. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Weibo

Jin Dong, left, and a woman fan showing one of the deepfake copies of his persona on a mobile phone. Photo: Weibo

Jin is much loved by middle-aged women fans because of his mature on-screen image. Photo: Baidu

China manager creates 22 fake employees with perfect attendance, embezzles US$2.2 million

A human resources manager in China created 22 fake employees to embezzle US$2.2 million from the company he worked for. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Yang had sole authority over the placement of staff and created bogus payslips for ghost employees. Photo: Weixin

Human resources manager Yang has been ordered to pay back the money he stole. Photo: Weixin 

‘World’s oldest female barber’, 108, inspires with wisdom ‘hold no grudges, feel no jealousy’

A 108-year-old Japanese woman has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the “world’s oldest female barber”, having dedicated an incredible 94 years to her craft. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube/QQ.com

Hakoishi still provides hairdressing services to a few loyal customers each month, affirming that she “has no plans to stop working.” Photo: Weixin

She shared that achieving a Guinness World Record had been her goal in recent years, and she felt immense joy upon accomplishing it. Photo: Weixin

News

People & Culture

Ex-husband expresses surprise at award as some people online suggest men deserve compensation for being ‘bodyguards’, ‘chauffeurs’


Ex-husband expresses surprise at award as some people online suggest men deserve compensation for being ‘bodyguards’, ‘chauffeurs’.
