Unemployed wives and stay-at-home moms are very vulnerable during divorce. While laws vary by jurisdiction, the decision to award spousal support usually lies with the judge. If the family court judge is sympathetic to the client’s plight, he or she will use legally granted discretion to order the other spouse to provide income. However, in some cases, a non-working wife may find it hard to make ends meet. Stay-at-home wives can Browse our website to learn what to expect during a divorce.
During the Case
Family court judges rarely force women to find work while a divorce case is pending. State law preserves the status quo as far as the couple’s finances are concerned. The working spouse must continue paying bills, so that property of the marital estate is retained. If the wife has no job, the judge will usually order temporary support to allow for the fulfillment of basic needs.
Employability
Spousal support is not automatically granted after a divorce, and receipt depends on the reason for the wife’s unemployment. If a woman has never worked and possesses no career skills, a judge is more apt to order support than if she has a college degree and has voluntarily left the work force. The husband’s Alimony Attorney in Folsom CA will likely ask for a vocational assessment to determine the wife’s job skills and expected earnings. The assessment typically guides the judge’s decisions on ongoing spousal support, and most family court judges expect the wife to at least partially support herself.
Rehabilitative Support
If the wife is relatively young, a judge may order temporary spousal support. Rehabilitative alimony provides an income sufficient to allow the wife to develop job skills so she can gradually become self-supporting. If the woman has job skills, but they are out of date, short-term support offers income until she can find a job in her chosen field.
Long-Term Spousal Support
An Alimony Attorney in Folsom CA asks for long-term support for spouses married for a decade or more. Permanent support lasts until the spouse remarries or the payer passes away, and it is common in situations where a wife spends her prime earning years caring for the children, only to find that she is too old to go back to college or learn a new skill. Ultimately, the requirement for a wife to find employment after marriage depends on the judge’s level of compassion.
