A well-known part of the divorce process is alimony. Traditionally alimony has been awarded to the wife. However with changes in modern society, men are starting to become more aware of the ability for them to also ask for and receive alimony. Modern society has seen numerous changes in the divorce process, perhaps most dramatically in the area of “men’s rights.” While that includes father’s rights, men who have no children are also a part of this movement due to the changes in alimony awarded to men.
Spousal support shifts are more and more common as women are increasingly the primary earners of the household. In 2005, women were already out earning their male spouses in 33 percent of all families, up from around 28 percent a decade earlier. The alimony numbers for men are increasing parallel to those numbers. The percentage of alimony recipients who are male rose to 3.6 percent during five years ending in 2006, up 2.4 percent from the five year period preceding that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
What are the reasons men are experiencing this shift? As more men face some of the issues traditionally associated with females, they are more willing to view alimony as a fair deal instead of a shameful solution. Whether they are high paid executives who still don’t make as much as their wives, or stay at home dads, more and more males are open to the idea of seeking and receiving alimony as reimbursement for their time and investment in the marriage and to continue their standard of living.
Something to consider in regard to alimony is the one of the idea behind alimony is that no one should have to leave the marriage with a lot more money than the other. You should feel just about equal to your spouse, both during marriage and divorce. For this reason, if your wife makes more money than you, it is possible that you will receive alimony. This is especially the case if you have as many expenses as she does, and therefore less disposable income. During the marriage all income was likely pooled together so that you both had equal rights to spend money. This should not always change during divorce, so you may get alimony from your wife, allowing you to continue your lifestyle once the marriage is over.
However, now that you are getting divorced, you should have to get a job if possible. But this can be difficult to do if you did not go to college because you were raising the children, or if you simply never had to worry about starting a career because your wife was making enough. If you did have a career before marriage, you may have taken time off to raise your children. Also, if you ever had to move due to your wife’s job, and therefore lost your job or place in school, you had to start over elsewhere. This is why you are not going to be held to the same standard as your wife when it comes to finances, since it can be hard to find a job after all this.
If you have been a stay-at-home dad for years, you definitely have a right to ask for alimony, just as many stay-at-home mothers do. This is because you did not have a chance to make the same amount of money as your wife while raising the children. This in itself is a full-time job, so it is not fair to walk away from the marriage with nothing to show for your hard work when it comes to finances. In addition, you likely saved your family a lot of money on childcare, which should be factored in when determining your contribution to the household. If any of the previous information feels applicable to you, you may be able to receive alimony from your wife.
If you are facing divorce in Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Cobb, Atlanta and the Meto-Atlanta area – call us at 770-609-1247 to discuss with one of our trusted divorce attorney how we can best assist you.
Content Revised: 2015-10-27
