Man ordered to pay ex-wife P12 million for unpaid housework during their 25-year marriage

A Spanish man has been ordered by the court to pay his ex-wife a total of 204,000 euros (P12 million) for the “unpaid work” she did at home during their marriage, which lasted for 25 years. 

According to a Daily Mail report, the couple tied the knot in 1995 and agreed on a separation of assets in their contract, which means that they will each have exclusive ownership of the property they acquired during their time as husband and wife. In the course of their marriage, the man ventured into various businesses while she looked after their two kids and focused on doing all the work at home.

“She was his shadow, working behind him so that he would grow professionally and become something,” her lawyer Marta Fuentes said in court, noting how most of her client’s time was spent on her family.

“In order for her husband to focus on his business projects, she stayed with the girls, and they never hired any outside help,” she added.

After their divorce in 2020 following a major fight, the woman was left with half of the rights to their property while the man had most of the significant assets such as other homes, luxury cars, and even a farm. This prompted her to demand for compensation in court in December of the same year. 

“She, like many other women, has spent her entire working life dedicated to her daughters while her husband had time to develop his professional career. It is important that this is recognized, that the time they have dedicated to their family and not to their professional life has value,” her lawyer argued. 

The litigation took two years. Their divorce settlement has been made public just recently, which showed that the judge decided on granting the wife the compensation she demanded for the unpaid domestic work during their decades-long marriage as well as £444 (P26,000) and £889 (P51,745) monthly allowance for her and their two children, respectively. The man is looking to appeal the decision.