By Annet Nakanwagi,
PARROTS UG|GENDER REPORT:
Kenyan High Court judge, Teresia Matheka has reportedly declared being a housewife a full-time job that should attract some form of payment.
According to the local media in Kenya, the judge who was presiding over a matrimonial property dispute said that it is unfair for courts to rule that housewives do not contribute anything to the financial progress of the family.
The complainant is said to be a divorced lady who sought to have their family property sold and the money shared equally between her and her ex-husband.
The Judge stated that housewives should not say they don’t work since they provide services in the home that are otherwise outsourced and paid for. She added that it is unfair to only rely on seen income and the mindset that one has to contribute money to the marriage to find value.
“Raising children is a full-time job that families pay a person to do. Cooking and cleaning as well. Hence, for a woman in employment who has to balance childbearing and rearing this contribution must be considered,” said the judge in her ruling.
The judge also urged her counterparts to consider the 9 months of pregnancy when presiding over cases of matrimonial disputes. She opined that carrying a pregnancy is equivalent to working, noting that some couples have lately resorted to hiring surrogate mothers to bear children for them.
