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Ex-husbands and spousal support

On Behalf of | Oct 27, 2015 | Alimony |

If a divorce is looming in your future or perhaps already even underway, the possibility of you being ordered to pay or to receive spousal support may well come to be. Many Illinois residents who get a divorce find that alimony is part of their final divorce decree. This is a legal obligation just like child support and can be beneficial to a lesser-earning spouse.

Despite the fact that the law allows for the spouse who is the recipient of a support award to be the husband or the wife, very few husbands actually see such money. Currently there are approximately 400,000 former spouses who receive spousal maintenance in the country. Census data indicates women are the primary financial earners in four out of every 10 homes in the United States. That would lead one to believe that a fair number of men receive financial support from a former spouse. However, the reality is that a mere three percent of alimony recipients are men.

Forbes attributes this to several factors, most of which are somewhat related to traditional male and female roles. The male ego is itself a potential barrier to ex-husbands being awarded spousal support. The whole concept can be essentially embarrassing or even emasculating to a man’s view of himself. Stereotypes and discrimination among courts can also factor into the lack of support awards to men. This leads to few husbands being willing to even seek let along accept spousal support.

You can learn more about alimony and other financial elements of divorce by visiting our Illinois divorce and support website.

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