There’s a real need to recognise women’s worth

There are billions of men – and women, too – who believe a woman’s place is in the home…preferably barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.

A woman’s (whether wife or cohabiting partner) duties in cleaning, preparing food and raising children are seldom regarded in the same way as other work which justifies the payment of a salary.

So, we think it’s no bad thing that a Chinese court has ordered a man to pay his ex-wife almost $8,000 (about R116,500) for years of unpaid housework.

The ruling, in a landmark divorce case, has, not surprisingly, sparked furious debate in China.

Under the country’s new civil code, which came into effect this year, divorcing spouses have the right for the first time to request compensation if they bore more responsibilities at home.

It’s a recognition that women labour long and hard in the home – often with little help from the men in their lives – for no financial recompense.

It is doubtful that such a code could be implemented in South Africa, which has one of the most patriarchal societies in the world and where women are often victims of abuse, in addition to being effective slaves in many households.

But, we need to change.

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