Value of wife's work at home no less than that of her office-going husband, conception problematic: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday observed that the notional income of homemakers must be calculated on the basis of the ‘work, labour and sacrifices’ that they put in.

A three-judge bench of Justices N V Ramana, Abdul Nazeer, and Surya Kant said this while delivering its judgement in a case involving an insurance compensation. The case was in relation to the death of a couple - the husband, a teacher, and his wife,a homemaker who looked after their two children - in an accident in 2014.

A tribunal had ordered an insurance company to pay Rs 40.71 lakh as compensation to the family but the Delhi High Court, after hearing an appeal, reduced the amount to Rs 22 lakh.

"The sheer amount of time and effort that is dedicated to household work by individuals, who are more likely to be women than men, is not surprising when one considers the plethora of activities a housemaker undertakes," the report quoted Justice Ramana stating in his judgement spotlighting the gender inequality.

"A housemaker often prepares food for the entire family, manages the procurement of groceries and other household shopping needs, cleans and manages the house and its surroundings, undertakes decoration, repairs and maintenance work, looks after the needs of the children and any aged member of the household, manages budgets and so much more," wrote Justice Ramana.

Justice NV Ramana also said that "The conception that housemakers do not 'work' or that they do not add economic value to the household is a problematic idea that has persisted for many years and must be overcome."

Allowing the appeal filed by claimants, the bench enhanced the total motor accident compensation of Rs 22 lakhs awarded by the High Court to the claimants by Rs 11.20 lakhs to reach a new total of Rs 33.20 lakhs with 9% annual interest from May 2014.