Why only housewives? Madras HC says house husbands should become the new normal to preserve marriages and families

The Madras High Court has said that the term ‘homemaker’ applies to both men and women, observing that husbands taking responsibility for household work could help preserve marriages and families. The court made the remarks while granting a divorce by mutual consent to a doctor-couple whose marriage had broken down beyond repair, a TOI report stated.

A division bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice M D Sumathi said that domestic responsibilities deserve the same respect as earning an income. The judges also observed that changing career priorities among women have affected marital relationships and suggested that more men could choose to become homemakers. “If there can be house wives, there can be house husbands also. Let this become a new normal, as it would help preserve the institution of marriage and family.”

Madras High Court on changing roles within families

The court observed that traditional family arrangements generally placed the responsibility of earning money on husbands, while wives managed household responsibilities. According to the bench, both roles deserve equal respect, even as the arrangement has changed over the past 50 years.


“This position has been changing over the last half a century. Women are also increasingly becoming career-oriented,” the judges said. The bench also referred to the differences between Indian and Western family structures while discussing the importance of marriage and family.

“Unlike the modern western societies, in Bharathiya culture, it is the family and not the individual which is the foundational unit,” the judges said.

Court links career pressures with changing marriage trends

The judges observed that balancing professional ambitions and married life has become difficult for many women, particularly those working in the IT sector and other professions. “We note that this is taking a toll in many relationships. Particularly, in the IT sector and professions. Marriage is not proving to be a win-win proposition for career women. Since such women see marriage as an impediment to their career prospects, they choose to skip it altogether. The number of unmarried women is on the rise. The situation can probably be remedied if husbands would opt to be homemakers,” the judges observed.

The bench suggested that husbands taking on domestic responsibilities could help address some of these challenges and allow women to pursue their careers without having to shoulder the primary burden of managing the household.

‘Housewives’ should not feel embarrassed, says bench

The court also commented on how the perception of homemaking has changed over the years. The judges noted that women earlier introduced themselves as housewives without hesitation, but some now appear uncomfortable using the term.

“These days, they put on an embarrassed look and say ‘just a house wife’, even though there is nothing to be embarrassed about it. House wives are not ‘little women’ (to borrow the famous title of the book by Louisa May Alcott. She famously said ‘I would rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe’).” The observations came as the bench discussed the importance of recognising domestic work and giving it equal standing with professional employment.

Madras High Court grants divorce to doctor-couple

The remarks were made while the court allowed the appeal filed by a doctor-couple seeking divorce by mutual consent. The couple had approached the family court seeking dissolution of their marriage on the ground of cruelty. However, the family court had rejected their plea, prompting both parties to challenge the order before the high court.

Commenting on the outcome of the family court proceedings, the bench said: “Marriages may make both parties unhappy. But the outcome of an adversarial litigation must make at least one party happy. But this judge succeeded in making both unhappy. As a result, both appealed against the order and that is how they are before us.”

After examining the matter, the judges concluded that the relationship had broken down beyond repair and ordered the dissolution of the marriage. “The marriage that was solemnized between the parties is dissolved by a decree of divorce by mutual consent. The decree of divorce will come into force only upon the fulfilment of the financial obligations undertaken by the man before the court.”

The divorce decree will therefore take effect only after the husband fulfils the financial commitments made before the court.