More and More Women Paying Alimony and Child Support to Their Ex-Husbands

 Posted on June 08, 2012 in Divorce

A recent article in the Huffington Post reports on the steadily increasing phenomenon of women who are ordered to pay alimony to their ex-husbands following a divorce. According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 56% of divorce lawyers nationwide have noted an increase in mothers who are ordered to pay child support, and 47% of divorce lawyers have seen an increase in ex-wives paying alimony over the last three years.

It is likely that improved job opportunities, salaries, and financial situations for women have sparked this trend, as many women now earn income that exceeds that of their husbands. An increase in women serving as breadwinners in families also may lead to this situation. In recent years, for instance, the Digest of Education Statistics reports that the number of women obtaining law degrees has doubled, and the number of men and women obtaining medical degrees is nearly equal. As a result, it is no longer a foregone conclusion that men will be ordered to pay child support and alimony in the event of a divorce, particularly where the wife has traditionally earned more money.

Predictably, women have a similar reaction as men when faced with a court order to pay spousal support – anger. Whether the person is a man or a woman, he or she often resents having to continue to financially support a dependent ex-spouse.

If you anticipate a divorce in your future, you must prepare for the possibility that you could be ordered to pay child support and/or alimony. Therefore, it is essential that you seek advice from a skilled Naperville, Illinois family law and divorce lawyer regarding child support and alimony, so that you might place yourself in the best position possible in terms of your divorce.