Dispelling the myth of an idle wife, the Delhi High Court has said that a homemaker’s labour enables the earning spouse to function effectively, and it is unjust to disregard her contributions while deciding maintenance. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that a wife’s non-employment cannot be equated with idleness or deliberate dependence when determining maintenance. It said the law must recognise not only financial earnings but also the economic value of her contributions to the home and domestic relationship during the subsistence of marriage.
The court said the assumption that a non-earning spouse is idle reflects a misunderstanding of domestic contributions. The court made the observations while dealing with the grant of maintenance to an estranged wife under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act last week.
