Traditionally alimony has been a benefit provided to women after a divorce. But the concept, like society at large, has evolved. There are a growing number of stay-at-home dads and women are the primary breadwinners in 40% of today’s households. This is a fundamental change in the financial makeup of the American family. Along with it comes the concept of “manimony,” which is when the wife in a divorce is required to make alimony payments to her ex-husband. So, when does the wife have to pay alimony?
Understanding Alimony
Technically, alimony is a gender-neutral legal ruling. In practice, however, about 98% of all alimony payments made in the United States are paid by men to women. In most states, this is determined solely by cold, hard economics. In theory, alimony exists for the benefit of the lower-income spouse, regardless of whether that is the husband or the wife. Today’s economy has been seeing an increase in the number of men seeking alimony. As traditionally male-dominated industries like construction and finance continue to drag their feet, more and more men are finding themselves making less money than their wives.
The primary breadwinner is supposed to pay alimony in order to help the lower-income spouse retain their financial footing. This may, unfortunatly, require some time. Some people leave their jobs when they get married, others when they have children. Either way, the result is the same: people lose their marketable job skills and it is hard for them to return to the workforce. Alimony payments are there to provide a cushion during this time. They can go toward adult education programs and other things to help your former spouse brush up on their job skills.
When Can Husbands Receive Manimony
Regardless of your sex, if your husband has had to give up his career to raise your kids, or if he’s had to make sacrifices in his career so that you can excel in yours, than he may be eligible for monthly alimony payments. To better determine whether or not your husband may be eligible to receive manimony payments consider the following:
What Are His Expenses?
After your divorce, what will your husbands’ rent be? How much will you pay for utilities, Internet, insurance, and transportation? Tally all of your future monthly expenses, and then determine if you can meet them on your own. If you can’t, then you may be able to ask the court for alimony.
How Much Are Your Household Contributions Worth?
If you took care of the kids, did all the household chores, fixed and maintained the cars, etc. How much was all of that time and effort worth? Try to figure it out because these are the sorts of things, along obviously with your financial income, that will play a role in how much alimony the court may or may not rule that you need to pay.
If you’re a woman considering filing for divorce in New York and would like to learn more about manimony give Brian D. Perskin & Associates a call at (877) 826-7257.