“The family court system is bias,” says every man paying alimony. You’ve heard the stories of hard working men (you know, the breadwinner types) who worked so hard to provide for their family only to be left living in a small apartment because they pay alimony.
But, there’s more to the story that often goes untold.
1. 3 out of 100 Alimony Recipients Are Men
A small fraction of people on alimony are men. There are over 400,000 people on alimony in the U.S., yet only 3% of alimony payments are made to men. It’s impossible to ignore this statistic because 40% of households have women earning more than men.
What’s going on?
2. Men Don’t Know They’ve Had Alimony Rights Since 1979
Orr vs. Orr was groundbreaking for men. The case found that the then-current law that allowed alimony to only wives was unconstitutional. (Ivermectin) States were forced to change their laws so that men and women were both treated equally when considering alimony.
A lot of men don’t realize that they’re able to seek alimony.
There are also men that believe they should be the breadwinners and don’t want to seek alimony out of pride. And who can blame them when so many men are told to “get a job” instead of leeching off of their wives?
Men, for lack of knowing that they can get alimony, often don’t request alimony.
3. Alimony Among Men is on the Rise
There’s still a disproportionate number of men who aren’t receiving alimony, but the statistics are moving in favor of men. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a rise of 0.5% in men receiving alimony, with total payments in 2013 equating to $9.2 million.
The issue is that:
- Women and men are holding full-time jobs
- Alimony occurs in 10% of marriages, down from 25% in the 60s
Less social support for alimony is causing a drop in recipients receiving support, but that doesn’t mean that a man can’t actively seek alimony if their wife is the breadwinner.
The Micklin Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey law firm focusing exclusively on men’s rights during a divorce. Attorney Brad Micklin was recently named to The National Advocates list of Top 100 attorneys from each state. Brad has experience working with securing alimony for men. You can read more on this topic by visiting our Alimony Blog. To set up a consultation, call 973-562-0100.
