Traditionally, men have paid their ex-wives alimony, but now it can work both ways. The increasing number of women who are the principle income earners and husbands who stay home in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, have changed the landscape of divorce. More women must pay alimony and many of them aren’t happy about it. This is leading to many family law issues.
For years, men were frustrated with permanent alimony and accused the family law system of bias because it favored women. Ultimately, this frustration leads to feelings of animosity that also affect everyone’s ability to move on to a new life after the divorce.
Apparently, there have been some double standards when it comes to court decisions on spousal support. What men today have a hard time understanding is that the traditional structure of a family was composed of a father, who earns a living and a mother, who cares for the home and the children. Until recently, women rarely had a career and this former family system molded the court’s view of alimony.
However, it all changed in the last 40 years or so. Nowadays, women have college degrees and successful careers. Of course, women are not immune to the possibility of divorce and all that it entails. The shift occurred and some women aren’t too pleased to pay alimony. But apparently, divorce became de-gendered once there was a shift from a traditional single-earning to a dual-earning family dynamic.
Alimony is really designed to recognize the sacrifices made by one spouse that hindered his or her ability to earn money or an income. The idea was originally linked to women whose domain was the home. Now that the roles have shifted, more men are relying on their wives to earn a living.
Obviously, laws are not officially in favor of one gender over the other and de-gendering has become more evident recently. Some states, in fact, are making an effort to eradicate permanent alimony to allow both spouses to pursue means of earning money.
As de-gendering continues to change the face of modern families and divorce laws, spouses in a divorce dispute should aim for an amicable and fair separation. A family law professional can play a crucial role in making the divorce process go smoothly. The professional may be able to address concerns and provide needed solutions.
Source: Time, “The De-Gendering of Divorce: Wives Pay Ex-Husbands Alimony Too,” Liza Mundy, May 16, 2013