If you are a Missouri woman who has successfully climbed the corporate ladder to the point where you earn a significant salary, this is a good thing. But if you earn more than your husband does, it may not be such a good thing if the two of you divorce. Why? Because you may have to pay him manimony after the divorce.
If you have never run across the word manimony before, Wife.org explains that this is the nickname given to spousal support payments made by a woman to her former husband. While fewer than 15% of today’s divorces nationwide result in manimony payments, nevertheless it is a growing phenomenon as ever more women achieve high-paying jobs. Actually, in roughly 40% of today’s American households, the woman brings home the larger or only paycheck.
Manimony factors
Should your husband make less than you and ask for manimony as part of your divorce proceedings, the judge will consider a number of factors, including the following ones, before making the award:
- Your current salary, your husband’s salary, and the difference between the two
- Your earning potential, your husband’s earning potential, and the difference between the two
- Your educational level, your husband’s educational level, and the difference between the two
- The amount of additional education and/or training your husband needs to match your earning potential
- The amount of nonfinancial contributions your husband made to the marriage
- How long your marriage lasted
Typical manimony durations
Should the judge order you to pay manimony, its duration guidelines likely will follow the standard ones applied to post-divorce spousal support payments. Generally such payments last no longer than 10 years, and most last for shorter periods. For instance, they usually stop if and when your ex-husband remarries. And if the judge granted them on the basis of your husband’s need for further education and/or training, they will stop once he completes his course of study.
This is general educational information and not intended to provide legal advice.
