There are men who often ask can a husband get alimony? The answer is a resounding YES. The alimony regulations are gender-neutral, which means that payment is determined by other considerations rather than gender.
According to data, only 3% of the 400,000 people receiving post-divorce spousal support in the United States were men. And this is worse in some states.
Despite the fact that women are the breadwinners in 40% of households, hundreds of thousands of men are entitled to alimony but do not receive it.
Why Alimony Rights for Husbands Matter
Despite the increasing number of women who were the breadwinners in the marriage while it lasted, husbands should understand the divorce alimony rules. They even coined the term “galimony” to describe their situation.
The lack of alimony payments for husbands might be attributed to a number of causes. Some of the reasons for this tendency, according to a report, include:
Die-hard gender roles – because a successful man is considered a breadwinning man, therefore, asking for alimony is considered emasculating.
A bitter fight by breadwinning wives, where women who were clearly the higher earners during the marriage literally refuse this.
The “man pride” has made a lot of men not request spousal support, despite the fact they are eligible for it.
Sexist Judges – There are insinuations in the report that in some parts of the country where judges are thought to be flat-out sexist against men, and mostly refuse to grant them alimony.
How a Husband Can Get Alimony
Alimony is commonly assumed to be a financial support payment paid by divorced husbands to their ex-wives. But men, more are receiving alimony in more numbers than ever before.
Here are some factors that will determine whether or not you are eligible for alimony from your ex-wife:
If You Have a Lower Income Than Your Wife
The fundamental point of alimony is that neither spouse should have to leave the marriage with much more money than the other. During both marriage and divorce, you should feel nearly equal to your spouse.
As a result, if your wife earns more money than you, you can be eligible for alimony. This is especially true if you have the same number of costs as she does and, as a result, less discretionary income.
All of your income was most likely pooled during your marriage so that you both had equal spending power. This should not alter during the divorce process, so you may be eligible for alimony from your wife, allowing you to maintain your current lifestyle when the divorce is finalized.
If Your Career Was Affected By Your Marriage
You may need to look for work now that you’re getting divorced. However, if you did not attend college because you were raising the children, or if you just never had to worry about starting a profession because your wife was well compensated, this can be difficult.
If you worked before getting married, you’re probably out of the loop now that you’ve taken time off to raise your children. Additionally, if you had to move because of your wife’s job and so lost your job or schooling, you had to start all over again.
This is why you may not be in the same financial standards as your wife, as it may be difficult to find work after all of this. In such a case, you also qualify to request alimony as a husband.
If You Stay at Home With Your Children
If you’ve been a stay-at-home father for a long time, you may be eligible for alimony, just as many stay-at-home women are. This is due to the fact that you did not have the opportunity to earn as much money as your wife while taking care of the kids.
This is a full-time job by itself, therefore it’s not fair to leave the marriage with nothing to show for your personal efforts.
Furthermore, you are likely to have saved the family a significant amount of money on childcare, which should be considered when calculating your contribution to the family.
A husband can get alimony If You Stay at Home With Your Children
Conflicting Issues About Husband Getting Alimony
Here are salient answers to questions posed by men regarding if husbands can get alimony
If The Wife Filed For Divorce Can She Get Alimony
Yes, a wife can be awarded alimony even when she was the one that files for the divorce. The reasons for the award must follow how courts decide alimony cases.
However, the alimony of the wife will be stopped if she lives with another husband.
Conclusion
This article has shed more light and put paid to the question of can a husband get alimony. Just like the wives, the husbands are equally entitled to receive alimony from their ex.
But unfortunately, most men do not explore this option for various reasons, including societal pressure and in some cases, their own refusal to do so.
Whatever position you decide to take, it’s always advisable to consult a divorce attorney for me if you are unsure of where to begin or what next step to take.
