In years past, the majority of women did not work outside of the home. As such when a couple divorced, the woman was almost always awarded spousal support or alimony payments for the rest of her life. Today, a large majority of married women work outside of the home. Despite societal changes in how income is earned and shared, many states have failed to update laws pertaining to spousal support.
A father's rights advocacy group recently picketed outside of a New Jersey jail. Inside a divorced man sat in a small cell where he'd been imprisoned for seven weeks. The man's alleged crime stems from his inability to pay weekly alimony payments to his ex-wife.
Divorced from his wife in 2011, a family law judge had ordered the man to pay weekly spousal support payments in the amount of $2,000. Additionally, the man was ordered to pay $3,300 in child support payments. While both spousal and child support payments are largely based on an individual's yearly income, the man in question makes only about $90,000. As such, he has been unable to pay even the alimony payments to his ex-wife which alone total $104,000 annually.
Father's rights advocates claim the family law judge presiding over the case has ulterior motives for keeping the man in jail and that he should be released. A hearing has been set at which the judge is expected to modify the spousal and child support payment amounts the man is required to pay. For now, however, he remains in jail.
In recent years, lawmakers in New Jersey have called for changes to alimony and child support laws. Father's rights advocates claim that current laws that allow for lifetime alimony are antiquated and fail to take various financial factors into account. Currently steps to change such laws appear to have stalled in the state Senate.
Source: Hunterdon County Democrat, "Man sits in jail while unable to pay alimony that exceeds his income," Lillian Shupe, Dec. 7, 2012