A divorce court case in Spain has caught the attention of people worldwide because of the unusual settlement the divorcing mom was granted. After 25 years of marriage, 48-year-old Ivana Moral and her husband divorced. The settlement case included a payout for all the unpaid labor Moral did during their marriage.
The judge ruled Moral is owed compensation for doing unpaid housework during their marriage.
Moral will receive back pay for what she argued was instrumental in allowing her husband to reach where he is in his career now, according to several news outlets.
Moral said she "exclusively" handled the housework during their marriage, according to EuroNews, per People.
During the court hearing, Moral argued she could not have a career during her marriage.
Moral made the point that during her 25-year marriage, she was unable to work toward her career because of her "exclusive dedication to the home and family."
And she argued that because of her dedication to handling the home and family, her ex-husband "accumulated and exponentially increased his assets," People reported. She said her unpaid work during that time allowed her ex to build a successful gym business, which meant he could live lavishly.
During their marriage, Moral said, she didn't have access to the finances.
"I was supporting my husband in his work and in the family as a mother and a father," she explained, according to People.
"I was never allowed access to his financial affairs; everything was in his name." And Moral said her ex excluding her from their financials was intentional.
"Clearly this was a case of abuse to be completely excluded financially (by my ex-husband) with nothing left after my marriage ended, so me and my daughters were left with nothing after all these years of putting all my time, energy and love in the family," Moral told i news.
Moral's attorney, Marta Fuentes, argued that unpaid labor was instrumental in the ex's success.
"So he could get on in his career, she stayed at home to look after the children, and they never contacted anyone to help her," Fuentes said. "She was his shadow, working behind [him] so he could rise professionally and become someone."
The courts ruled in Moral's favor, ordering her ex-husband to pay out Є204,000 (approximately $215,000) as compensation for all that work. This was calculated using the equivalent of Spain's minimum monthly professional wage.
Her ex also has to pay her a monthly pension and pay their two daughters — who are now 20 and 14 — monthly.
Moral also will receive an ongoing pension of $527 per month in addition to the $215,000 payout. Plus, her ex was ordered to pay $427 and $641 each month for the couple's two daughters.
Doing the math, the payout isn't impressive when looking at the entire 25 years, but it's a standout ruling.
"This ruling represents the labor of all the women in the shadows and who, without a doubt, constitute a fundamental support in personal, marital, and familiar terms during years and years so that the ex-husband could develop his professional career and a rise in wealth which at the moment of separation could not share," Fuentes shared.
