Divorce can be a painful experience that rocks the foundations of your life. It’s difficult to attempt to carry on living your life in downtown Salt Lake, when your mind is occupied by thoughts of separation from the spouse with whom you shared a life and home for so long. It is exhausting, to say the least.

And with these issues, if you have found security in your job over the course of your life, you may be worried about your future responsibility to pay spousal support in order to help your spouse during her transition.

But if you are concerned about having to pay alimony for life, then read on – and you will see that it’s not as common as you think.

How Alimony Can Help 

Alimony in the United States was first set up in order to help lower earning divorced spouses survive in the world after separation. Because many women were forced to stay home and tend to the household, they lacked any ability to gain employment in the world – and were thus granted spousal support to keep them afloat.

Fast forward to today, and you will realize that this is not the case anymore. As gender equality has reached somewhat of a pinnacle, and members of both sexes enjoy the ability to thrive in the workplace, alimony has become a much less common phenomenon. Men and women often times have an equal earning potential, highlighting the fact that no spousal support is necessary in the event of a separation.

When Will Alimony Be Awarded?

This is not to say that alimony is no longer awarded, though – it is simply less common than it used to be. Spousal support may still be granted in some circumstances, such as:

  • If there is a vast difference in earning potential between partners
  • If one partner sacrificed work in order to raise children
  • If one partner is unable to support themselves after the divorce
  • If the separating spouses are parents to children under the age of 18

Other factors are necessary when determining if spousal support will be awarded to one of the parties, and truthfully, it is entirely up to the judge to make a final ruling on the matter.

But nowadays, no longer are disenfranchised ex-spouses being forced to pay monstrous sums of money for the duration of their natural lives – instead, courts have recently begun to make more lenient judgments when discussing the possibility of alimony between a separating couple. If spousal support is awarded, it often lasts for as long as or less than the duration of the marriage itself, and can be modified accordingly by the court in the event of a variety of circumstances.

And the laws regarding alimony aren’t set in stone for eternity, either – legislation regarding spousal support is constantly changing, making way for more lenient rules that respect the earning potential of both spouses equally.

Get Legal Advice from a Professional

Ultimately, when discussing alimony, you need to speak with a legal professional before taking any steps. A skilled alimony attorney in Salt Lake City can advise you on your actions, and help you secure your finances so you can stay comfortable for the rest of your life.

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