Two North Carolina divorce attorneys recently spoke about the reasons why they believe men don’t ask for alimony even when their situations call for it. According to the attorneys, a combination of gender stereotypes held by both spouses and bias in the judicial system leads to lower-earning men foregoing alimony petitions.
Census figures show that there are about 400,000 people who receive spousal support or alimony in the United States. Among these alimony recipients, only 3 percent are men. However, 40 percent of households in the U.S. have a woman as the main breadwinner. Many believe that these figures demonstrate that many divorced men are not receiving alimony from their ex-wives even though they are eligible for it.
One man who decided not to pursue alimony from his ex-wife said that he survived on subsistence wages and money from his parents for four years rather than ask his ex-wife for alimony. While he was married, his ex-wife had earned $100,000 a year while he stayed home with their two children. Some divorce attorneys say that a woman in the same position would be much more likely to ask for and receive alimony payments. However, when men petition a female breadwinner for alimony, they are usually in for a difficult legal battle.
With many women earning more money than their husbands today, there are a lot of men who are entitled to ask for alimony payments during a divorce. Depending on the circumstances, an award for alimony may be paid in a lump sum, over a long period of time or over a relatively short period of time. A man who would like to petition for alimony payments may want to have representation from an attorney.