Madras HC: If a housewife can exist, so can a house husband

The Madras High Court observed 'if there can be a housewife, there can also be a house husband' while hearing a doctor couple's matrimonial dispute. The court highlighted sharing domestic duties to strengthen marriages before granting them divorce.

“If there can be a housewife, there can also be a house husband,” the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed while disposing of a matrimonial dispute involving a doctor couple. The court said greater sharing of domestic responsibilities could help strengthen marriages and the family structure.

The Case Background

The case involved a doctor couple from Tiruvannamalai who had filed separate appeals before the Madurai Bench challenging orders passed by the Family Court in Theni. A Division Bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi heard the appeals. According to the court order, the couple were working at Sri Venkateshwara Medical College Hospital in Puducherry when they got married in 2011. They had a son in 2012. Subsequently, the wife stayed with her parents to take care of the child while the husband pursued higher studies in cardiology. The couple had their second child in 2016. They lived together after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but differences later developed between them. The wife approached the Family Court seeking restitution of conjugal rights, while the husband sought divorce. After both petitions were dismissed, they filed separate appeals before the High Court.

Court's Observations on Domestic Roles

While hearing the matter, the Bench made observations on the sharing of responsibilities within a family. “In our culture, the family is the fundamental unit. The responsibility of earning an income and the responsibility of maintaining the household deserve equal respect,” the court observed.

The Bench noted that women may sometimes perceive marriage as an obstacle to their career opportunities and observed that the number of unmarried women was increasing. “This situation could change if husbands shared domestic responsibilities. If a ‘housewife’ role exists, a ‘house-husband’ role can also exist,” the judges observed. The Bench further said that if such an arrangement became a social norm, it could contribute to strengthening marriages and preserving the family structure.

The court also pointed out that the term “homemaker” is gender-neutral and referred to the Supreme Court’s repeated recognition of the economic value of the work performed by a wife as a homemaker.

Mutual Consent and Final Verdict

During the proceedings, the husband agreed to pay ₹2.5 crore to the wife, taking into consideration the welfare of their children. The wife also agreed to the arrangement. Based on the mutual consent of the parties, the High Court granted divorce and disposed of the appeals. The husband was directed to pay ₹1.5 crore to the wife within three months of receiving a copy of the order, with the amount to be deposited directly into her bank account. The court also directed that ₹50 lakh each be deposited in the names of the couple’s two children within one year.

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