1. In a marriage, who would you attribute the following tasks to - the husband or the wife?
- cooking
- cleaning
- assembly of flat-pack furniture
- small household repairs (changing a bulb etc.)
- gardening
- small maintenance on car (checking fluid levels etc.)
2. If you had to attach a financial value to the above tasks, how would you do it? Which task would attract the greatest/least value?
3. How are most tasks attributed at the beginning of a relationship, do you imagine?
Read article here: Chinese Divorce
4. Do you feel positive about this legislation? Is the state overreaching here? Divorces are notoriously complicated affairs, will we also need accountants to calculate hours worked as well as lawyers?
5. Is this legislation biased towards women?
6. According to the article, "The amount should be negotiated, but if that fails then it will be decided by court." What could go wrong here?
7. Does this legislation open the door to other forms of potential compensation in a divorce (emotional, intellectual, social)? Will this only lead to more complicated prenuptial agreements? Will men see a financial interest in doing more housework?
8. Here are the marriage vows for a UK wedding:
"I, _____, take thee, _____, to be my wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
Would these vows contravene the Chinese legislation, do you think? (Particularly the part about 'for richer, for poorer')
9. Do you have wedding vows in your country? What is promised/stated? Would it contravene China's civil code?
10. Does your country have a civil code which arbitrates on marriage? If not, should it have one?
11. Should getting a divorce be made easier? Should there be greater codification in the area of marriage/divorce? Do you think marriage would become more/less popular because of this?
12. Are the following reasons acceptable for getting a divorce?
money, infidelity, weight gain, lack of communication, unrealistic expectations, growing apart, substance abuse, getting married too young
..........
Situation
You are an activist lawyer campaigning to have housework compensated for in divorce cases. You have an interview with well-known journalist (your teacher) who is interested in your cause. Make your case, and answer any questions he has.
..........
Discuss quotes
“Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid
"I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again."
--- Joan Rivers
“Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day.”
― Simone de Beauvoir
"A man's home is his castle, and his wife is the janitor."
--- Lucille Kallen
“Has he come armed, then?” she asked anxiously. “Has he brought a pistol or a sword?”
Ian shook his head, his dark hair lifting wildly in the wind.
“Oh, no, Mam!” he said. “It’s worse. He’s brought a lawyer!”
― Diana Gabaldon, Voyager
Student Handout PDF: Chinese Divorce
Photo: Karolina Grabowska
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