Supreme Court To Observe The Calculation Of Notional Income Of Homemakers Based On Their ‘Work, Labour And Sacrifices’
Making a gradual shift from “It’s a great time to be born a man” mindset to “It’s a great time to be born a woman” mind space, seems like the Indian judicial system is finally making leaps as it has begun lending a ear to all of women related issues that were till now swiftly brushed under the carpet. Whether it is enabling women, or acknowledging them, women’s work, potential and success has always been either misinterpreted or underestimated. But not anymore, says Supreme Court as it announces that calculation of notional income of homemakers must be based on their work, labor and sacrifices.
Taking a huge step towards promoting gender equality, the Supreme Court during one of its cases relating to an insurance coverage dispute observed that homemakers’ work and sacrifice shall not go unnoticed. It said, “This is in furtherance of our nation’s international law obligations and our constitutional vision of social equality and ensuring dignity to all.”
The judgement came from a three judge bench of Justices NV Ramana, S Abdul Nazeer and Surya Kant. Out of them, Justice Ramana said, “The sheer amount of time and effort that is dedicated to household work by individuals, who are more likely to be women than men, is not surprising when one considers the plethora of activities a housemaker undertakes.”
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Homemaking and other domestic work have long contributed to social and economic wellbeing of any nation,large or small. Homemakers have served as the managers of household operations. Fixing notional income for homemakers a step towards a Constitutional vision of social equality. pic.twitter.com/yiEQOvoY79
— Nishtha Satyam (@SatyamNishtha) January 6, 2021
He further went on to elucidate, “A housemaker often prepares food for the entire family, manages the procurement of groceries and other household shopping needs, cleans and manages the house and its surroundings, undertakes decoration, repairs and maintenance work, looks after the needs of the children and any aged member of the household, manages budgets and so much more.” Considering most of us have seen our mothers do this every day for years, without complaining, it wasn’t so hard to relate.
He then added, “The issue of fixing notional income for a homemaker, therefore, serves extremely important functions. It is a recognition of the multitude of women who are engaged in this activity, whether by choice or as a result of social/cultural norms. It signals to society at large that the law and the courts of the land believe in the value of the labour, services and sacrifices of homemakers.”
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The Supreme court in its verdict also said, “The conception that housemakers do not ‘work’ or that they do not add economic value to the household is a problematic idea that has persisted for many years and must be overcome.” If anything, homemakers have a duty longer than the typical 9-5 working hours we work in or the stretched hours that a person running a business would put in. Working round the clock, their work, their sacrifice, their labor needs to be recognised and we are glad it’s finally happening.
