B.L. v. M.L., 3 October 1988.
The court held that a wife who had not made either a direct or indirect contribution to the family home would be given a 50% beneficial interest in that home upon divorce a mensa et thoro.  It based its ruling on Article 41.2 of the Irish Constitution, under which the State has a specific duty to try to ensure that mothers are not obliged by economic necessity to engage in work to the neglect of their duties in the home.  It ruled that a woman should have her work as a homemaker and mother taken into account in calculating her contribution toward acquisition of the home.
D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004243:Divorce; D004467:Economics; D005060:Europe; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005843:Geography; D006796:Household Work; D006798:Housing; D007494:Ireland; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008393:Marriage; D009035:Mothers; D010290:Parents; D011153:Population; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014933:Women's Rights
Court Decision; Developed Countries; Divorce--legal aspects; Economic Factors; Europe; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Family Relationships; Geographic Factors; Housework--legal aspects; Housing--legal aspects; Ireland; Microeconomic Factors; Mothers; Northern Europe; Nuptiality; Parents; Population; Residence Characteristics; Socioeconomic Factors; Spatial Distribution; Women's Status