In some places, the punishment for a less-than-clean house is a dirty jail cell.
A husband from the Lazio region of Italy is taking his wife to court this week, alleging that she does not perform enough housework. Her failure to clean has led to "mistreatment of the family," reports Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
As a result, he and his family have been "forced to live in conditions with poor hygiene" for the past two years. He argues that food, which could have been used, has gone to waste. The husband himself has even been kicked out of his own bedroom, and feels "insulted."
While 'failure to complete housework' is not a crime in Italy, negligence is. If convicted, she could spend anywhere from two to six years in jail. The 40-year-old woman goes on trial Oct. 12.
In March of 2014, a campaign was launched to provide housewives with a government-funded salary, but the measure did not pass.