Each spouse shall contribute to the best of his or her ability to meet the needs appropriate to the respective living conditions. The spouses are therefore obliged to exhaust their full earning potential in order to make their contribution. If the income actually earned is less than the possible income, a fictitious income is assumed (tension principle). The spouses may divide gainful employment and household management between themselves by mutual agreement.
A violation of the obligation to contribute may be asserted in divorce proceedings as marital misconduct.
