The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has made observations on gender roles, household responsibilities and marriage while hearing a matrimonial dispute involving a doctor couple. The Bench said that responsibilities related to earning an income and maintaining a household deserve equal respect and observed that a “house-husband” role could exist just as a “housewife” role does.
The Division Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi was hearing two separate appeals filed by the husband and wife against orders by the Family Court in Theni. The judges spoke about the importance of sharing domestic responsibilities between spouses and how such an arrangement can lead to better family relationships.
If there can be a housewife, there can also be a house husband, the Bench observed while disposing of the appeals.
Doctor Couple Married in 2011
The case involved a doctor couple from Tiruvannamalai who were working at Sri Venkateshwara Medical College Hospital in Puducherry when they got married in 2011. The couple had their first child, a son, in 2012.
According to the case details, later the wife stayed with her parents to care for the child while her husband pursued higher studies in cardiology. The couple had a second child in 2016.
After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the couple began living together. But soon after they began to disagree with each other and then they went to the Family Court.
The wife approached the Family Court seeking restitution of conjugal rights, while the husband filed a petition seeking divorce. Both of these petitions were dismissed by the Family Court, after which the husband and wife made separate appeals before the Madras High Court.
Equality of Respect For Household Responsibilities
In the hearing, the Bench discussed families as an important social institution and stressed that paid employment and domestic work contribute to the functioning of a household.
The court noted that in Indian society the family is a fundamental unit and the responsibility of earning an income and the responsibility of maintaining a household deserve equal respect.
The judges also stated that marriage may be viewed by women as an obstacle to career opportunities. The Bench further commented about the increasing number of unmarried women and how the sharing of domestic responsibilities might influence people’s perceptions of marriage.
Based on the observations made during the proceedings, a more equal distribution of household responsibilities might help alleviate some of these issues. If the role of a housewife is recognised, there could also be a role of "house-husband", according to the judges.
The Bench observed that making such arrangements a social norm could strengthen marriages and preserve family structures. The comments were made in relation to the matrimonial dispute before the court and its discussion on the respective responsibilities of spouses.
Court Refers To Homemaker’s Economic Value
The Madras High Court also referred to the gender-neutral term “homemaker” when discussing domestic duties. The Bench said the Supreme Court has consistently recognised the economic value of the work performed by a wife as a homemaker.
Domestic work, including childcare and household management, often doesn't come with a direct salary. But courts have recognised that such work has economic and social value when matrimonial and compensation-related matters are taken into account.
The observations in this case therefore placed household duties alongside income-earning ones and not in terms of the roles being unequally balanced. The court also highlighted that spouses can divide responsibilities based on the circumstances of each spouse.
Husband Agrees To Pay Rs 2.5 Crore
In this case, the husband agreed to pay a total amount of Rs 2.5 crore to his wife taking into account the welfare of their two children as a matter of course. The wife also agreed to the arrangement.
Based on mutual consent of the parties, the High Court granted the divorce and disposed of the appeals filed by the couple.
The court directed the husband to pay Rs 1.5 crore to the wife within three months of receiving a copy of the order. The amount is to be deposited directly into her bank account.
In addition, the court ordered that Rs 50 lakh each be deposited in the names of the couple’s two children within one year. These directions were part of the settlement agreed to by the parties.
The case has opened the debate on marriage, careers and household responsibilities. The Madras High Court’s observations suggest that domestic work and income-earning roles can both be part of a family and that the extent of that division of work can differ from one marriage to another depending on the circumstances.
