Italian judges back husband's right to nights away from wife

[emad]

Barbara McMahon in Rome
Saturday November 19, 2005
The Guardian


A court in Italy has upheld a man's right to enjoy nights out, saying that leaving a wife at home is not a breach of marital responsibility. Husbands are entitled to pursue solo leisure activities and even take the occasional holiday without their spouses, the judges said.

The ruling at the court of cassation, Italy's highest appeals court, came during an alimony case brought by a woman who divorced her husband because he frequently stayed away from home.

Rejecting the case, the judges said that "Vittorio S", described as a middle-aged professional man living in northern Italy, could not be blamed for the end of his marriage to "AnnaMaria C".

He had been within his rights when he spent nights out with his male friends and had the occasional weekend away from home. His desire for more personal space was an "understandable" response to the deterioration of the relationship and was not the cause of it, the judges added.

"The cry for freedom was the expression of a pre-existing malaise," they ruled.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1646195,00.html

[TalkingDog]

1. Good, it's about time

somebody came out and said it. Just because you are married does not mean you give up your personhood or individuality. Marriage does not conjoin you at the hip.

Women have been fighting this fight for years. Men deserve the same opportunity for self exploration.

Granted...they were obviously not on the same wavelength about the issue. But when you are separate vacations can be fantastic.