Should alimony be a thing of the past?

[Salazar]

I have no problem paying child support, but paying alimony to a 32 year old ex who is perfectly capable of getting a job seems like too much to me. There should at least be a time limit on it, like no more than three years or something. Thoughts?

 

[ryan]

I agree that there should be a time limit. If it's somone in her early 30's and there are no young children at home, three years seems very reasonable. That's plenty of time to get training or education if it's needed. Actually, if child care is an issue, there are lots of options for people to work from home these days. So, I'd say three to maybe a maximum of five years depending on the children's ages.

 

[Christian]

I don't think it should be a thing in the past, but maybe there should be a limit on it. There are just so many individual variables with something like alimony that it would be hard to just say "no, we aren't going to do that anymore".

 

[Victor]

I agree with Christian. It's too individual to make a blanket mandate. However, I do see instances where it doesn't seem equitable so I think reform is needed.

 

[Babar]

I think a woman should only get alimony for a period of time if she was a stay-at-home mom with limited work experience. Any other situation just doesn't hold.

 

[polamalu43]

I do believe they look at everything prior to making one of the spouse's pay alimony. Heck sometimes it is even the wife that pays the ex-hubby. I do agree with a time limit though.

 

[Michael]

It all depends on the circumstances. We know a girl who worked the entire time her husband was in medical school, paying all the bills while he went to school. After he started making money, she was no longer necessary. She gave up her education for his. She deserves all the alimony she can get.

 

[ryan]

I see your point, Michael. There are husbands who don't even want their wives to work so that they can stay home with the children. If a woman has been doing that for years, she isn't going to have an easy time getting a well-paying job especially in today's job market. To be fair, you have to look at all the factors in the marriage. In the situation you described, I would agree that the woman deserves to be compensated for supporting her husband while he was getting his medical degree.

 

[Bobby]

It should be taken on a case by case basis. The courts need to look at the issue of the age of children if any, the type of lifestyle the family lived, and as was previously mentioned, consideration should be given to women who forgo their own education to put a husband through school. But it shouldn't mean that a husband lives in near poverty while his ex lives in luxury either.

 

[Sinbian]

I guess it would be best to examine the state of the ex and in the case that she can't support herself than you need to pay. But time limit also sounds reasonable.

 

[Timothy]

Like most people are saying, I think it needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis, but I do agree with some sort of time limit, even if the time limit is different case-by-case. If the spouse is disabled, then maybe long-term alimony is appropriate. If the spouse is out of a job because they chose to stay at home while they were married, then maybe they should receive alimony temporarily while they look for another job, and continue receiving alimony until they find another job, all the while providing proof that they ARE in fact looking for work. I don't like it when a couple divorces and someone gets a sugar mama/daddy out of it, but I think the court should take into account who has the children and what kind of circumstances they're in.