Italian Supreme Court limits alimony rights for housewives

The Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione), through ordinance n. 20030/2026, has ruled that being a housewife does not automatically entitle a spouse to divorce alimony. The court overturned a previous decision from the Court of Appeal that had granted alimony to a young former housewife based solely on the significant income gap between her and her ex-husband.

According to the ruling, the mere fact of not working during the marriage is insufficient to establish a right to alimony. To qualify, the requesting spouse must provide concrete evidence of having renounced professional opportunities or having made an effective contribution to the other spouse's career or the family's wealth. In the absence of such proof, the status of a housewife is considered a neutral factor rather than a legal basis for financial support.