The Kerala High Court has held that putting a price tag for the work of mothers, wives, sisters and daughters is an insult to motherhood and womanhood.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice K Vinod Chandran passed the order while dismissing a petition filed by Women’s Voice, a Sulthan Bathery-based association for women seeking directions to the state and Central Governments to evolve a scheme providing minimum wages for housewives for their housework.
According to the petitioner, the women spent 10-14 hours a day in household chores, while in rural areas, they spend the whole day on such activities.
The association also said that the authorities should evaluate the work rendered by women at home and to provide minimum wages for such work.
The court said: “It is not clear as to whether the association requires a law to be enacted or specific amounts to be paid.”
The court observed that the economic work of mothers or housewives is immeasurable. These days, women are engaged in all kinds of work. The court also noted the significance of women in societal well-being and individual upliftw.
Many women have given up lucrative professions to take care of their families, and many are still capable of maintaining a stable well-knit family.
The court also pointed out the significance of women in making a house and the role they play, not being that of a wife alone. “God created mothers lest he be unable to reach everywhere,” the bench observed.