A provincial court in Pontevedra, Spain, recently ruled that a man must pay his ex-wife $96,000 as compensation for her work as a housewife during their 26-year marriage. The wife only worked outside the family home for a total of 205 days throughout the unnamed couple’s marriage, dedicating herself to raising their only daughter and keeping the house in order. After their separation in 2022, the husband remained in the family home that had long been paid off, while the wife had to move out and rent her own place. Then the woman decided to seek compensation for all her years of housework. An initial ruling set the compensation to be paid by the defendant to his ex-wife at $130,000, but the decision was appealed by both parties. The wife argued that because she was a housewife for 26 years, the economic imbalance left her unable to support herself with anything but a menial job. The husband disputed the economic imbalance, claiming their daughter doesn’t live with her mother because she’s now of legal age and his wife makes enough to support herself. The court sided with the wife, ruling that she must be compensated for all the years of work she did without pay.
