Ex-wife Gets $215K for 25 Years of Unpaid Housework During Their Marriage in Divorce Settlement From Husband

A court in Spain determined that a 48-year-old woman is entitled to $215,000 from her ex-husband because she performed unpaid housework during their marriage. Ivana Moral will receive a monthly pension of €500 (roughly $528) from her ex-husband. A judge in Málaga determined the total pension amount and based it on the minimum professional salary for the period of the couple's 25-year marriage, iNews reported.

Her ex-husband, who was not identified in the court decision, has also been directed to pay their two daughters, who are now 20 and 14, respectively, €400 ($425) and €600 ($635), per PEOPLE.

Moral "exclusively" took care of the couple's domestic chores throughout their marriage from 1995 up to 2020 when she requested a divorce, according to Euronews. She further claimed that during that time, her ex-husband "accumulated and exponentially increased his assets," while she was unable to pursue her own career due to "her exclusive dedication to the home and family."

The court heard that over the course of their marriage, the husband built a successful gym business that allowed him to buy a Porsche Cayenne, a Range Rover 4×4, BMW motorbikes, and a 70-hectare olive oil farm, which was valued at €4m.

Even with all these possessions, when their oldest daughter turned 16, Moral's ex-husband declined to continue funding her education, forcing her to begin working to support herself through school. When they got married, her husband had Moral sign a separation of goods contract, which stated that he would keep all of his money and they would divide any joint property.

Moral has expressed optimism that other women would be motivated by her story. “The reason I decided to speak to the media is I wanted women to know that we can claim for housework when there is a separation of goods agreement,” she said.

"Clearly this was a case of abuse to be completely excluded financially (by my ex-husband) with nothing left after my marriage ended, so [my daughters and I] were left with nothing after all these years of putting all my time, energy, and love in the family," Moral told the outlet. "I was supporting my husband in his work and in the family as a mother and a father. I was never allowed access to his financial affairs; everything was in his name," she added.

"This ruling represents the labor of all the women in the shadows and who, without a doubt, constitute a fundamental support in personal, marital, and familiar terms during years and years so that the ex-husband could develop his professional career and a rise in wealth which at the moment of separation could not share," Moral's attorney, Marta Fuentes, told iNews.

"So he could get on in his career, she stayed at home to look after the children, and they never contacted anyone to help her," she continued. "She was his shadow, working behind [him] so he could rise professionally and become someone."

References:

https://people.com/human-interest/court-orders-womans-ex-husband-to-pay-her-215k-25-years-housework/

https://inews.co.uk/news/woman-payout-unpaid-housework-record-divorce-settlement-2193153

https://www.euronews.com/2023/03/08/husband-in-spain-ordered-to-pay-ye200000-to-ex-wife-for-domestic-labour

Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Ekaterina Goncharova