As you and your husband go about seeking a Texas divorce, the issue of spousal maintenance may become a big one. While spousal support, which used to go by the name of alimony, traditionally has been paid by former husbands to former wives, this is no longer necessarily true.
As Wife.org explains, ex-wives now pay spousal support, nicknamed manimony, to their ex-husbands in about 10 percent of divorce cases across the nation today.
Manimony represents an idea whose time has come as more women than ever successfully climb the corporate ladder to high-paid executive positions and/or start highly successful companies of their own. It may surprise you to know that in 40 percent of American households today, a woman brings home the only or major paycheck. Furthermore, over 2 million dads now fulfill the role of stay-at-home child raisers, relying on their wives or partners to financially support the family.
Manimony factors
Should your husband ask the court for a manimony award during your upcoming divorce, the court may well grant it to him if you currently make more than he does. As with all spousal maintenance situations, however, the court will take a number of factors into consideration before making the award, including the following:
- How much disparity exists between your earnings and those of your husband
- How much disparity exists between your earning potential and his
- How much disparity exists between your level of education and his
- If he could significantly increase his earning potential by obtaining additional education or training
- The length of your marriage
- How much he contributed nonfinancially to your marriage
This is general educational information only and not intended to provide legal advice.
