It used to be that most divorces fit a particular mold - the woman, who was often a stay-at-home mom, would take primary custody of the kids and the husband would make monthly child support and alimony payments.
This model is becoming increasingly outdated. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, divorce lawyers are seeing a marked increase in the number of women who make alimony and child support payments to their ex-husbands.
As a group, American women still tend to earn lower annual salaries than men. However, this doesn't always hold true at the individual family level. Many American families have discarded traditional gender roles in favor of a more economically-based analysis - if the woman has a higher earning potential, she is likely to stay in the workforce while the man takes time off to care for the children.
The change has become even more pronounced in the aftermath of the Great Recession, which tended to hit traditionally-male occupations like manufacturing harder than traditionally-female careers such as nursing or teaching.
Georgia Alimony Cases
While these changing gender roles may require many Americans to shift their attitudes about spousal support, Georgia divorce courts are already well-equipped to handle cases of husbands requesting alimony payments from their soon-to-be ex-wives.
This is because Georgia's spousal support system is set up to be gender neutral. There is no automatic presumption that the man will be sending money to the woman. Instead, the court looks at each party's ability to earn a living that will generate a standard of living similar to that which the couple enjoyed while they were married.
If you are facing divorce, don't be afraid to ask for the support you need.
Source: Reuters, "More US Women Paying Child Support, Alimony" Edward Tan, May 16, 2012.
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