According to divorce attorneys across the nation, an increasing amount of men are requesting spousal support from ex-wives as part of their divorce settlement. While current and exact statistics are not yet released, based on 2010 Census records, 3% of men were granted alimony. This data was derived from the 400,000 people who received alimony that year.
Growing Numbers
In the two years following the 2010 Census, 1,600 attorneys were surveyed from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Roughly 47% noticed an increase in the number of women who are paying spousal support, or alimony. A significant rise in the number of women becoming the chief breadwinners of a marriage, coupled with a rise of stay-at-home fathers, means the percentage of men receiving alimony is likely to increase.
“Ten years ago, when I was probably three years into my career, was the first time I saw a woman pay spousal support. This year alone, I’ve had seven cases where the woman is paying support,” said Justin Reckers, CEO of Pacific Divorce Management in San Diego. Attorneys across the nation are attributing this change to a shift in social and economic traditions.
Changing Times
“More fathers stay at home, and more women earn more than their husbands,” said Penelope Hefner, an attorney from North Carolina. “This shift in the economic balance naturally leads to a shift in the proportion of husbands seeking support.”
Alimony is accepted by men for a variety of reasons. In some cases where the wife is the primary earner or the husband is the stay-at-home parent, alimony is granted. Often, men opt for alimony while they seek better employment options they neglected while married. The change has been a slow one. In the 1979 case of Orr vs. Orr, the Supreme Court decided there would be no gender bias in the terms of alimony settlements.
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For legal guidance and support for your divorce negotiations, contact the law office of Barrera, Sanchez & Associates, P.C. in McAllen at (956) 287-7555.