Female Breadwinners Can Creatively Manage Alimony Responsibility

Female breadwinners in Ann Arbor, Michigan are breaking the glass ceiling, achieving career success and earnings that outpace their male counterparts. As female breadwinners make great strides toward equality, many are coming to grips with the fact that they will be responsible for spousal support at the end of a marriage that may have failed.

According to an American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers survey, 45 percent of lawyers stated that they saw an increase in men being granted alimony and 54 percent saw an increase in the number of mothers paying child support. In addition to dealing with visitation plans, child custody, and property division, women are now being told they will be responsible for paying child support.

Judges have raised the expectations for men and women post-divorce. In a court decision rendered in 1979, spousal support officially became a gender-neutral requirement based solely on the role the person played in the marriage. Courts have moved away from granting spousal support for years. Now the court makes the determination based on the amount of time it would take a person to retool and re-enter the workforce.

The shift in the court’s overall attitude toward awarding spousal maintenance and child support to males and females alike has been touted as an economic breakthrough for women. Economic empowerment has proven to be a double-edged sword for women, but critics celebrate the advancement of women. Women are being pushed to face the reality of alimony creatively, acknowledging the amount required. Female breadwinners are encouraged to consider IRAs, debt responsibilities, and marital assets to meet the alimony needs.

During a divorce, a family law attorney may be able to handle a broad spectrum of divorce-related issues ranging from parental relocation to post-divorce modifications. In cases where a female breadwinner may be involved in a high asset divorce, an experienced family law attorney might manage the dispute and any divorce legal issues that may arise.