Photo of Professionals at Weinberg, Kaplan & Smith, P.A.
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More men receive alimony in divorce

by | Apr 1, 2018 | Blog

There are many outdated gender norms that still plague society. One of the most common is that the man in a marriage should be the primary breadwinner. Decades ago, it was extremely common for men divorcing their wives to have to pay a certain amount in alimony. However, times change, and while the number of men who receive alimony from their wives is still low, it has started to increase in recent years. 

Many men do not pursue alimony during a divorce because they do not think they will get it. However, it depends on many factors in any given case, and if a man qualifies to receive alimony, then his lawyer will pursue it. 

Why men are still reluctant to pursue alimony

In many cases, this comes down to simple pride. Even though a man may make less money than his former spouse, he does not want to appear weak or become emasculated. However, there should never be any shame when it comes to a person receiving the money owed to him. Most of the time, receiving alimony will be the only way to ensure he maintains a similar lifestyle to the one he had in married life. When lawyers show their male clients the math, suddenly alimony becomes a hot topic of discussion. 

Changing gender dynamics

More men than ever before have become stay-at-home dads. Now the woman is the one with the high-paying, demanding job while the man spends a majority of the time looking after the children. While some women will naturally feel reluctant to pay their ex-husbands alimony, the court will ultimately decide what is fair, especially if the man played a significant role in raising the kids. 

Numerous factors impact alimony, including the income disparity between the spouses and the length of the marriage. Alimony is extremely helpful to people of any gender who made less money because it can help them go back to school to learn new skills or simply afford a nicer place to live.