Valorisation of Household Labour in Family Property Law

Preface 5

1 Valuation and compensation of household labour in property relations between spouses and cohabitants 11
A Belgian perspective
Charlotte Declerck and Ingrid Boone
I Introduction 11
II Scope of research 11
1 Household labour 11
2 Property relations between spouses and cohabitants 12
III Valuation of household labour under the community of property regime 12
1 First hypothesis: a spouse performs typical household labour and is responsible for the care of the children and any resident third parties 12
2 Second hypothesis: a spouse carries out improvements to goods that belong to the other spouse 13
3 Third hypothesis: a spouse cooperates in the business activities of the other spouse 14
IV Valuation of household labour under the pure separation of property regime 14
1 Household labour as defence against claim for repayment 15
a Obligation to contribute to household expenses (during marriage or cohabitation) 15
b Restitutive gift 17
c Theory on natural obligations 17
2 Unjust enrichment as principle for compensation for household labour 17
a First hypothesis: a spouse cooperates in the business activities of the other spouse 17
b Second hypothesis: a spouse carries out improvements on goods that belong to the other spouse 20
c Third hypothesis: a spouse performs typical household labour and is responsible for the care of the children and any resident third parties 21
3 New legislation? 21
V Valuation and compensation of household labour from a Belgian tort law perspective 22

2 Valorisierung von Haushaltstätigkeit im Güterrecht 27
Eine deutsche Perspektive
Katharina Lugani
I Einführung 27
II Güterstand der Zugewinngemeinschaft, §§ 1363 ff. BGB, und deutsch-französischer Güterstand der Wahlzugewinngemeinschaft, § 1519 BGB i.V.m. Übereinkommen vom 4.2.2010 29
1 Grundzüge 29
2 Motivation des historischen Gesetzgebers: Zugewinn als gemeinsamer Erfolg der Lebens- und Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft beider Ehegatten 30
3 Folgen der Schematisierung 31
a Zugewinnausgleich ohne zu valorisierende Haushaltstätigkeit 31
b Zu valorisierende Haushaltstätigkeit ohne Zugewinnausgleich 31
4 Besonderheiten bei der Beendigung des Güterstands durch Tod eines Ehegatten 34
a Vorgehen bei Beendigung des Güterstands durch Tod eines Ehegatten 34
b Keine Differenzierung nach Tod des potentiell Zugewinnausgleichspflichtigen oder des Zugewinnausgleichsberechtigten 35
5 Wahrnehmung in der Bevölkerung 35
III Wahlgüterstand der Gütergemeinschaft, §§ 1415 ff. BGB 36
IV Gütertrennung 36
1 Allgemeines 36
2 Besonderheiten bei der Beendigung des Güterstands durch Tod eines Ehegatten 37
V Eigentümerstellung nach allgemeinen sachenrechtlichen Regeln 37
VI Nebengüterrecht 38
1 Ansprüche aus Dienst- und Werkvertrag 38
2 Ansprüche nach Ehegatteninnengesellschaft 39
3 Zweckverfehlungskondiktion 39
4 Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage 40
VII Besonderheiten bei faktischen Lebensgefährten 40
VIII Fazit 41

3 Valorisation of household labour through relationship and property law 43
Challenging perspectives from England, Wales & Scotland
Anne Barlow
I Introduction 43
II The Common Law Approach and the UK Social Context 44
III England and Wales – The development of the non-discrimination approach 47
1 Married and Civil Partnership Context – England and Wales 47
2 Pre-nuptial Agreements and Non-Financial Contributions 53
8 Valorisation of Household Labour in Family Property Law
IV Scotland 55
V Cohabitation and the law in the UK 57
VI Conclusion 59

4 La valorisation du travail domestique en droit patrimonial de la famille 61
Une perspective Française
Véronique Bouchard-Barabé
I Introduction 61
II La revendication d’une rémunération du travail domestique 62
III L’ aménagement d’ une rémunération du travail domestique 69
1 L’ aménagement contraint 69
2 L’ aménagement choisi 71

5 Valorisation of household labour in family property law 75
A Dutch perspective
Wilbert Kolkman and Leon Verstappen
I Context, objective and research questions 75
1 Dimension of the problem I: Reasons for the choice of strict separation and numbers of such cases 77
2 Dimension of the problem II: Property relations of informally cohabiting partners 77
II Problems and unfair effects 78
1 Size of the problem groups 79
2 Causes of the problems and unfair effects 80
III General conclusion. Justification of legal intervention 80
IV Comparative research 81
1 Comparative research: married couples 81
2 Comparative research: informally cohabiting partners 82
V Instruments considering partners in formal relationships 82
VI Instruments considering partners in informal relationships 83
VII Conclusion 84

6 Valuation of care and housework in property law 85
A Norwegian perspective
Tone Sverdrup
I Introduction 85
II Norway: Household labour is an indirect contribution that leads to co-ownership both in marriage and cohabitation 86
III Comparing legal reasonings 87
1 The Law Commission 88
2 The American Law Institute 88
IV Conclusion: The key difference 89

7 Valuing household work in family property regimes of separation of assets 93
Spanish models and experiences
Josep Ferrer-Riba
I Household work in the regulation of the family economy and family dissolution 93
II Household work and separation of property regimes 96
1 Separation of property regimes in the Spanish legal landscape 96
2 Non-compensatory systems 97
3 Compensatory systems 99
a Deferred remuneration systems 99
b Restitution for excess contribution or unjust enrichment systems 102
c Participation of the housekeeping spouse in the income earner’s gains 108
III Household work and financial remedies at family dissolution 110
1 Financial remedies in the Spanish legal systems: configuration, functions and incidence of household work on their determination 110
2 Complementarity between property and financial remedies to compensate for household work 113
IV Conclusion 114

8 Valorisation of household labour in family property law 117
A comparative overview
Charlotte Declerck and Leon Verstappen
I Introduction 117
II Just matrimonial property systems 118
III Default compensation mechanisms 119
IV Deviation from the default compensation mechanisms 121
V Non-default compensation mechanisms; intervention by the judge 122
VI Conclusion 124