It is the homemakers who keep Indian households up and running, but their services have not been appropriately recognised in the country’s society. The work done by homemakers mostly goes unpaid and unappreciated, but it is as important as any other economic activity and deserves a fair remuneration.
For homemakers, meeting the demands of every member of their family while managing a household can be demanding and amounts to nearly 98 hours of work per week on average. This makes them one of the most hardworking sections of the nation’s population.
While corporate professionals and other workers may have a 9-to-5 schedule, homemakers work around the clock, doing chores such as feeding the kids, cleaning around, making meals and running errands, among numerous other things. The schedule of a homemaker is not fixed and the efforts put in by them for the proper functioning of a household has yet to be quantified.
With India moving towards gender equality and parity, its Supreme Court has taken a historic decision to calculate the notional income of homemakers based on the efforts put in by them at home and the sacrifices made by them for the well being of their family. The nation’s apex recently took the decision to ensure adherence to international laws on gender equality and socioeconomic rights and to uphold constitutional provisions that guarantee social equality and dignity to all.
This judgement was delivered by a three-judge bench comprised of Justices NV Ramana, S Abdul Nazeer and Surya Kant. The bench was hearing an insurance dispute case.
Noting the hard work that homemakers do every day to meet their family’s needs, Justice Ramana stated that the amount of time and effort that homemakers, who are typically women, devote to the various chores of the household is immense because they have a diverse array of responsibilities to fulfil.
The judge expressed belief that fixing a notional income for homemakers, who have by their own or due to the pressures of sociocultural practices taken up the responsibility of their households, will uplift their socio-economic status and create a sense of worth and economic independence in them. The decision will help in establishing the fact that the country’s law and order believes in recognising the efforts and sacrifices of a homemaker.
Interestingly, the decision was taken by the Supreme Court while hearing the case of a motor accident that had occurred in 2014. The accident led to the death of two, a couple in their twenties, with the husband being a teacher and the wife a homemaker.
In a recent hearing of the case at the Delhi High Court, the insurance claim amount was decreased to Rs 22 lakh by the judiciary from the initial Rs 40.71 lakhs that was to be given by the insurance company to the deceased’s family. The Supreme court has, however, increased the final claim amount to 33.20 lakhs to be given at a 9 percent interest rate starting from 2014. The apex court has directed the insurance company to pay the insurance money to the family within the next two months.
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