Woman granted $215,000 payout for 25 years of unpaid housework

A woman divorcing her husband has been awarded a payout of €204,624.86 ($215,664) after successfully arguing that she deserved compensation for 25 years of doing all the housework.

In a relationship, it's really important that on the subject of domestic chores you absolutely do your bit - all of the cooking, cleaning and errands aren't just one person's responsibility.

Occasionally remembering to wash up a few plates or doing a bit of performative vacuuming isn't going to cut it either, and there's now an extra incentive for those procrastinating partners who have been slacking on chores.

A court in Velez-Malaga, Spain has ruled that a woman should be awarded compensation from her ex husband for all of the unpaid housework she did over the course of 25 years of marriage.

Robert Hoetink / Alamy Stock Photo

48-year-old Ivana Moral divorced her husband in 2020 and the court decided that since she did all of the housework in their two-and-a-half decades together, she was entitled to some money.

They worked out the fee of €204,624.86 based on Spain's monthly minimum wage laws, so Ivana has now essentially been paid for doing all the housework during her marriage.

According to Euronews, Ivana 'exclusively' did all of the chores while also 'punctually' contributing to the family gym business where she did the cleaning.

When Ivana got divorced, the end of her marriage was governed by separation of property so she and her husband both kept what they had earned over the course of their relationship.

However, Ivana's lawsuit says she was 'deprived of any possible career due to her exclusive dedication to the home and family' whereas her ex husband 'throughout the years of marriage, accumulated and exponentially increased his assets'.

Ivana told the i 'me and my daughters were left with nothing' while she was 'never allowed access to his financial affairs'.

itdarbs / Alamy Stock Photo

Over the course of their 25 years of marriage, her ex husband's gym business was successful enough to the point that he was able to buy a Porsche, Range Rover, BMW motorbikes and a huge olive oil farm which has been valued at €4 million.

Ivana's lawyer Marta Fuentes described the ruling as a victory for all women who have put in lots of work so their husbands 'could rise professionally and become someone'.

She had originally been offered a divorce settlement of half of the family house and no money, but has now been granted the lump sum of compensation and will also be paid a monthly pension of €500 ($527).