More women are paying spousal support and child support after getting divorced in the United States. In the past, it was often assumed that the husband would be required to pay spousal support and child support if the couple had any children. However, these days gender roles are changing and spouses going through the divorce process have noticed.
Why are more women paying spousal and child support? The main reason is that more women have professional careers compared to the past. In fact, women are the main breadwinners in 40 percent of all households in the country, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
Family law judges consider several factors when determining spousal support and child support orders. Now that women are making more money than in the past, they are more likely to be on the giving end of a spousal support or child support order after divorce. The common factors considered in spousal support cases include the length of the marriage, the spouse’s need for any support and the other spouse’s ability to provide financial support.
For child support cases, both parents share the responsibility of providing for their children. However, the spouse who was the primary financial provider during the marriage is more likely to pay child support, especially if the other spouse is not able to provide as much financial support for the kids due to not working or not having the ability to make as much money as their ex.
In addition to women making more money than in the past, more men are becoming the primary caretakers for children. This means that many couples are sharing custody of the kids and that more men have primary custody after the divorce. This can also influence child support decisions in many cases.
The finding that more women are paying spousal support and child support may be surprising to many but it makes sense as more women have their own professional careers and become the main source of income for their families.
Source: Communities Digital News, “More women paying child support, spousal support,” Myra Fleisher, May 27, 2014