Commentary: Why should not stay-home dads who sacrificed profession prospects get alimony?

A trend that will continue is the rise in the number of stay-home dads – this number increased from 700 in 2007, to 1,500 in 2017.

What all this means is traditional care-giving roles may be shifting.

ENTER THE ALIMONY QUESTION

Alimony, or maintenance, is the legal obligation a spouse has to provide financial support to the other spouse during, and even after a marriage, if the other spouse lacks the financial means to get back on their feet and support children after a divorce.

For example, for the spouse who was the homemaker and had given up a career to focus on the family, post-divorce, finding employment immediately is likely to be harder, especially if they had been out of the workforce for years.

Factors affecting the quantum of the alimony awarded today include the financial needs of the claimant, the income, earning capacity, age, property ownership, financial resources, financial needs, standard of living enjoyed during the marriage, the duration of the marriage, the contributions made by each party towards the family and the care of the children, and any physical or mental disabilities of the claimant.

This shift to acknowledge just how gender-neutral parenting or care-giving has become is a long time coming, and omitting a further step to allow husbands to apply for alimony was a missed opportunity.

In 2016 the Women’s Charter was amended to create a “narrow exception” for an “incapacitated husband” (defined as being unable to earn a living or support himself due to a physical or mental disability) to seek maintenance from his wife.