Alimony is money paid by one former spouse to his or her ex after divorce. The entire goal is simply to support that person, and they can use it for everything from rent to grocery bills. Payments last for different amounts of time and see far different totals from case to case.
If you ask young people — college students in their 20s, for instance, or young professionals in their 30s — they’ll be quick to tell you that they think the whole thing is outdated and no longer needed. Granted, that doesn’t mean every young person holds this point of view, but experts note that it’s more common among this age group.
Why is this? A lot of it comes back to inequality and the shifting roles of women in the workforce.
While there still are many problems with equality that can’t be overlooked, it is true that women hold a far better place in the workforce today than they did in previous generations. They work more, earn more money and support themselves.
In fact, some may even be offended by the idea that they need support. In their parents’ generation, women may have stayed home and had no income, but that’s not how women today do things. They can support themselves. And that is why they think they no longer need alimony.
As views on alimony shift, along with the real need for these support payments, it’s important for couples of all ages to know what rights and obligations they have as they move through a divorce in Connecticut.
