Heading for divorce can be an uncertain period of life. Divorcing couples have to deal with any number of decisions, including things like alimony, child custody and property division. While many people in Virginia believe that they understand the basics of the divorce process, some myths can complicate things for everyone.
One example of a common but false myth is that judges always award primary custody to mothers. Since men often assume that judges favor women, a father may not assert his rights if he believes that a judge wrongly determined his child’s best interests. In reality, judges look at children’s best interests when deciding how to award physical and legal custody. Knowing this, some fathers might be able to achieve a more appropriate child custody agreement that respects their children’s best interests.
Another misconception is that men are always ordered to pay alimony, also known as spousal support. While it is true that a husband might have to pay alimony if he earned more than his wife during the marriage, many women are now the primary breadwinners. Rather than assuming that alimony is a gender-based issue, a divorcing couple should evaluate each person’s respective income and role during the marriage, especially if one person left the workforce to care for children.
Rumors about the divorce process are everywhere, and they can be hard to avoid. However, people generally do not want to base important decisions off incorrect information. This is why many people in Virginia choose to work alongside experienced attorneys when getting divorced.
