Made for each other, not maid for you: Madras High Court

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Madras High Court (HC) has come down heavily on the male chauvinist Indian concept that a woman’s domain is the kitchen and she should not look beyond satiating the husband, rearing his children and doing household chores such as washing clothes and utensils.

It said such subjugation amounted to cruelty and could be a ground for divorce.

“… it is not accepted that a woman should remain like a maid servant only to prepare food and look after children. To put it differently, a wife is also expected to have a rightful equal honour and dignity in a matrimonial home,” justice M. Venugopal said, as a two-judge bench also comprising justice Elipe Dharma Rao granted divorce to a woman living separately for six years in a case of 'irretrievable' breakdown of marriage.

The woman had sought divorce saying her parents- and sisters-in-law threatened to kill her if she failed to get dowry, her husband had issued standing orders that she eat at all functions of relatives or would be forced to eat free food provided by temples and he treated her as a maid servant forcing her to do all household chores, including washing clothes of all members of his family.

A family court dismissed her petition.

While HC accepted the findings of the family court in respect of the first two allegations, it said the observation that “in every family there is normal wear and tear and the allegation [that the woman was treated as a servant maid and forced to do all household work] does not come under the ground of cruelty” was “not a valid and legally justifiable one”.

HC directed the husband to pay within two months Rs 2 lakh each to the appellant and her 7-year-old son towards permanent maintenance.