Considerations for financially dependent women in a divorce

May 31, 2017

The end of a marriage is difficult to deal with, especially if you are blindsided by the filing. For women who rely on a husband to support them and their children financially, learning that the man filed for a divorce can cause serious distress. For these women, there aren’t any easy answers.

While many people think that a homemaker will automatically get alimony if her husband files for divorce, this often isn’t the case. More and more, courts are expecting each party to provide financial support for themselves.

Thinking about the future

You have to think about the future when you find out that you are getting a divorce. Even if you don’t have any job experience in recent years, you need to start looking for a job. You might have to struggle to find a company to take a chance on you, but this is what might be necessary. You can always highlight some of the skills that you learned while you were managing a home and raising children. For example, highlight your budgeting abilities or your supervisory skills when you are creating a resume.

Be realistic about your income potential

During the divorce proceedings, you and your ex will divide up the property that is part of the marriage. You should be realistic about what your income will allow you to do after the divorce. This could mean that you have to bid adieu to the marital home or other assets because you aren’t going to be able to pay for those assets. Even though this seems harsh right now, thinking about these issues now could be a real benefit for you. You should also consider how pensions and investment accounts might help or harm your financial situation in the immediate period, as well as into the future.

Seek child support if the children will live with you

Your children will need financial support from your ex. If they live with you, be sure that you find out about child support payments. While these won’t likely be enough as the sole source of support for the entire house, they could help to take some of the financial pressure off of you.

There are many aspects of divorce that you will need to think about. Since the divorce came as a shock, you might not have the luxury of time, so you should act quickly to find out what you need to know before you make any decisions about your divorce.