Florida Alimony Law: It’s Time for a Change, but Is This the Right Change?

Florida’s alimony laws were created back in a time when women had little to no economic power, when divorce was uncommon and when family values were honored above all else – even in times of unhappiness. Back then, the man was the breadwinner, and the woman the homemaker. Because of this, in Florida, permanent alimony is granted to the under-earning half of a divorcing couple (traditionally the woman), and will continue to be granted until death. There are many people who argue that this is unfair, and that a lifetime is plenty of time for the under-earning spouse to become self-sufficient. These people are pushing for a reform of the existing alimony laws, and an end to permanent alimony.

But these people aren’t taking into account the kinds of problems that this reform could present – to the providers and the receivers alike. There are some situations, yes, where permanent alimony is not appropriate—but then there are just as many, or more, where it is. There are thousands of women who got divorced during a time when women couldn’t easily get jobs – when their job was to stay at home and take care of the children – and if the alimony reform were to pass, those women—women who don’t have any job experience—would be left without any income or any sense of security whatsoever.

Another thing to think about is standard of living: While married, two people share the same standard of living. If you’re married to somebody for a length of time, you become used to the life you and your spouse shared together, but, if the new alimony reform were to pass, a divorce would mean that only one person would get to keep living that lifestyle, while the other would be forced to live far below the standards they had been used to. This not only affects you and your ex, but, if you have children, it drastically affects them as well.

I am not saying that permanent alimony is right for everyone – there are definitely situations in which the under-earning spouse is perfectly capable of going out and getting a good job themselves. But it is not these people I am worried about – it is the current recipients of permanent alimony – women (typically), who were married to their husbands for 20+ years – who took care of their children and the home in lieu of getting a job because they wanted a good home life – who are in jeopardy of losing everything they may or may not have deserved to lose.

Hopefully people will give this reform more thought before it passes and they realize they’ve made a huge mistake. Learn more at: http://bit.ly/ZPukf4