When a couple gets married, it is not uncommon for one spouse to stop working and devote his or her time to taking care of the home and family. We all know that taking care of children is a full-time job, often making it difficult to juggle both a career and a family. The courts recognize the sacrifice that is made when one spouse decides to forego a career to take care of the family, making it one of the considerations when determining alimony for one spouse in a divorce.
With this in mind, when a couple goes through a divorce, it is not uncommon for the courts to award spousal support, or alimony to one of the spouses. This typically occurs when one spouse has been out of the workforce for a substantial amount of time during a marriage.
It is not easy to find gainful employment and develop a financial independence while being out of the workforce for a substantial amount of time. Alimony may not necessarily be permanent, but is often done while a spouse is re-educating him or herself, going back to school or developing the training necessary to get back into the workforce. It is also often awarded to help maintain a similar standard to living that was present during the marriage.
There are many things that need to be taken into consideration and decided in the process of a divorce, and a court’s decision regarding alimony can make a big difference in the finances of one’s immediate future. In order to obtain a favorable outcome, it might be in your best interest to enter the courts with strong legal representation to help you through the process.
Source: FindLaw, “Spousal Support (Alimony) Basics,” Accessed June 29, 2017
