Compensation for 26 years of housework

The couple married in 1996 and separated in 2022. The woman only worked outside the home 205 days a year, and stayed home to raise their only daughter and clean and cook.

After the separation, the husband remained at home, while the wife rented a room outside. She also struggled to find work to support herself. When filing for divorce, the woman asked her ex-husband to compensate her for nearly three decades of housework.

The original court ruling was that her ex-husband should pay her $130,000, but they both appealed. The husband wanted the amount reduced, while the wife wanted it increased. She argued that being a stay-at-home mom made it difficult for her when the marriage ended. Now she has to work a menial job to support herself, with no room for career aspirations.

The ex-husband objected, saying that the woman was not under financial pressure because her daughter was grown and no longer lived with her mother. He also said that both had obligations in the marriage and that it was not right for him to pay his ex-wife as a full-time employee.

The case recently went to trial. The Pontevedra Provincial Court did not support the man’s case, but only reduced the compensation from $130,000 to $96,000. The ex-husband must pay the woman $380 a month for three years.

Such compensation cases have become more common in Europe in recent years. Last year, another court in Spain ordered a man to pay his ex-wife more than $220,000 for 25 years of housework. In 2021, a Portuguese man was ordered to pay his ex-wife $72,000 for unpaid work during their 30-year marriage.