If, during your marriage, your spouse was the primary income-earner in your home in Marion, then you may go into your divorce proceedings automatically expecting to be awarded alimony. Yet spousal support is not intended to simply punish your spouse for working while you stayed home; rather, it is simply meant to provide you with a means of assistance in attaining the same standard of living you enjoyed while married. If the court believes you can earn enough to support that one your own, it may not award you alimony at all.
Even if you do happen to be granted alimony, be aware that it is likely only to be temporary. According to the Oregon Judicial Branch, the state recognizes three types of alimony:
- Transitional
- Compensatory
- Spousal maintenance
Both transitional and compensatory alimony are temporary by their natures. Transitional alimony is just as was explained earlier: additional support to help you transition financially into your post-divorce life. Typically, the court will set a timeframe which it believes affords you an adequate opportunity to secure gainful employment. Once that time passes, your ex-spouse’s alimony obligation ends.
Compensatory alimony is meant to compensate you for any sacrifices you may have made to further your ex-spouse’s career ambitions. Say that you elected to forgo your professional pursuits to stay home and raise your children. Your ex-spouse may be made to pay you a one-time lump-sum payment to compensate for the salary that you might currently command had you stayed in the workforce.
Only spousal maintenance has the potential to be long-term. If the court finds that you are unable to secure employment (either due to limitations or your obligation to your kids), it may order indefinite spousal maintenance. Still, such maintenance will end should you choose to re-marry.