Posted on 04/08/2005 11:09:19 AM PDT by iceemonster
Spanish men will have to learn to change nappies and don washing-up gloves under the terms of a new law designed to strike a blow at centuries of Latin machismo.
The law, due to be passed this month, is likely to provoke a revolution in family affairs in a country where 40% of men reportedly do no housework at all. It will oblige men to "share domestic responsibilities and the care and attention" of children and elderly family members, according to the draft approved by the Spanish parliament's justice commission.
This will become part of the marriage contract at civil wedding ceremonies later this year.
"The idea of equality within marriage always stumbles over the problem of work in the house and caring for dependent people," said Margarita Uría, of the Basque Nationalist party, who was behind what is an amendment to a new divorce law.
"This will be a good way of reminding people what their duties are. It is something feminists have been wanting for a long time."
Failure to meet the obligations will be taken into consideration by judges when determining the terms of divorces. Men who refuse to do their part may be given less frequent contact with their children.
Spanish women spend five times longer on housework than their husbands. Even where both have jobs outside the home, Spanish women still do three times as much work in the house.
"It is not just about housework, though. Women also end up doing most of the caring for the elderly," said Ms Uría.
A study five years ago by Spain's Centre for Sociological Investigation concluded that fathers spent an average of 13 minutes each day looking after their children.
Only 19% of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school age children to have a full-time job. More than a third thought mothers should not work outside the home at all.
The change to the Spanish legal code will see domestic obligations added to a list of marital duties that currently includes fidelity, living together and helping one another.
The initiative has received the backing of all Spain's political parties, including those of a conservative or traditionally Catholic bent.
Ms Uría said that the Socialists, who run Spain's minority government and voted against the clause when the draft went through the commission, had told her that they, too, were now in favour of it.
That should guarantee that, when the law - which will also make divorce proceedings faster and easier - is voted on in parliament in the next few weeks, the obligation to share domestic chores will be added to the statute books.
Expect the marriage rate in Spain to plummet (perhaps that's the hidden agenda of the legislators). People will always opt out of signing contracts where the government gets to dictate terms.
More socialism. Think of it this way, this creates a great employment opportunity. They'll have to create a huge new office of Domestic Responsability with field agents making continous house inspections. Wow, the solution to the EU employment issues is just more government. What a novel idea.
Do the muslims have to do it too?
Men? I didn't know "men" existed anymore - I thought society was a collection of unisex persons and one's own perception of their "gender" was entirely arbitrary and nothing more than a social-construct.
/sarcasm
It sounds like this law only matters if the couple is getting divorced and there's a court battle over custody, money, visitation, etc. going on--at which point, how is the court going to know who's telling the truth about who took out the garbage? We'll have to wait and see if they institute the "dirty dishes, dirty diapers police" at some point!
They need a LAW for this?
Soon they will legislate that women have to learn to change the oil and clean the gutters.
God,I'm glad I'm old----I did my jobs,he did his,and everyone was happy.
So the fact that the men have jobs outside the house, and provide all the money for that caretaking, not to mention the money to feed everyone, is meaningless?
This is the crux of the issue. If you don't want your wife to work outside the home, you aren't going to go out of your way to make it easier for her to do so.
I wonder how that anti-gravity bill is coming along?
I'm a guy. Any of you guys up for moving to Spain?
Didn't think so. Who's suffling cards? I've got the brandy and cigars. Let's play poker.
DA740
Will the law also make women plunger the toilet & mow the lawn?
NEAT FREAK!
I'm a woman, and I agree. My husband makes 4x the amount of money I make, and works twice as many hours, and therefore I gladly do the vast majority of the housework.
Well, it also helps that we have a cleaning lady who comes in for 2 hours/wk. Still, with 3 small children and a P/T job, I'm constantly cleaning, washing dishes, and doing laundry! But it's the life I wanted (a big family), and I have no regrets.
I will gladly mow the lawn, pull weeds, tend the garden, prune shrubs and trees, clean gutters etc.
It's the inside stuff I can't stand.
Ick...
And I have yet to figure out what that 'iron' thingie is for....I just use it as a doorstop.
LOLOLOLOL
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