Stand on Your Own Two Feet, Baby!
All the crap that goes on in divorces and separations is enough to make
a girl wanna hurl. I've heard it said that when a couple separates, they
regress back to the emotional age they were when they met. Sometimes, I'm
inclined to believe it. It's revolting how petty and callow some
individuals get when they go through a divorce.
Yes, there are many women out there who get the short end of the stick in
divorces and separations. I know the statistics about the number of
women who wind up below the poverty line... so I gotta tell ya, it
REALLY pisses me off when the system is abused.
I know this one couple who are going through a divorce. They were married
for a number of years, have no children, and no major assets, save their
cars and household belongings. They have decided for various reasons that
they no longer can maintain a viable relationship. They are splitting belongings
equally, down the middle, as per the law.
BUT, simply because HE makes more money than she does, HE is obligated to
"keep her in the manner to which she has become accustomed", for the next
3 years!!!! Never mind that he helped put her through school, and that
she is working in her chosen profession. Never mind that he contributed
equally to housework, cooking, etc. Never mind that they have no children.
Simply because he earns more money than she does - he is obligated by
law to pay her "support", and she is taking him for all she can.
Where is her self-respect? This kind of behavior is avaricious, petty,
and malicious. One might argue that she is exhibiting heartless behavior,
but I see it as pathetic. She made her choices in life. She *chose* to go into the
profession she did. If she has been living well because of his income up
to now, then that was a gravy train ride, and honey, it stops now. Time
to live within your means, and EARN the things you want in life, by
your own hands.
There are so many single mothers getting screwed around by absentee fathers,
and women who (naively) gave up careers, who are suffering under economic burdens
after a divorce... It browns my butt to think that there are women (and men) out
there abusing the system, and making it look bad for the ones who REALLY need the help.
If she'd given up her career to stay home and raise a family, she'd have
some justification. If she'd paid to put him through university, or brought major assets
into the relationship, she'd be well within her rights. But to force him to
pay exorbitant amounts of money in alimony, simply because he earns more, and she
can get away with it? BAH! I say, "Get some self-respect, walk away with
your dignity intact, and Stand on your Own Two FEET, Baby!"
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