When you think about alimony payments, you might still imagine a woman seeking alimony because she previously stayed home with her children. Interestingly, though, the law in Louisiana is actually gender neutral, which means that men or women can seek alimony if they need it upon divorce.
Spousal support in Louisiana isn’t based on statutory formulas like other kinds of support. Instead, you have to show that one party has the means to pay support and that the other has a need for that support. Whether that means a man has more income to pay support or a woman does doesn’t matter.
Both men and women can seek spousal support when necessary
In Louisiana, both husbands and wives may seek spousal support when they need it. For example, if your husband stayed home with your children and you were the breadwinner, you won’t automatically get alimony just because you’re a woman. Instead, it is much more likely that you’d be paying alimony to your spouse, since they stayed home and set aside their career.
There has been an uptick in the number of men seeking to qualify for, and qualifying for, alimony. As gender roles continue to change throughout the state and country, it’s likely that this trend will continue.
Generally speaking, men tend to have a better opportunity to find good careers and to earn more. However, women are now working full-time jobs and, sometimes, outearning their spouses. Sometimes, it makes sense for their husbands to stay home and parent. Other times, their spouses may simply make less than them in their own careers.
Anyone can seek alimony if they need it after a divorce
Men who want to seek spousal support can do so, because there is no limitation based on gender. In your circumstances, the spouse who earns less may want to look into making a request for alimony if they need additional financial support. As long as the higher-earning spouse is able to pay for that support, it may be made available to them for, at the very least, a temporary and preset length of time.