Is There Any Hope for a Stay-At-Home Mother Getting Divorced?

 Posted on November 20, 2023 in Divorce

Many parents struggle to maintain their previous work schedule once they have children. It can be difficult just handling the basics of dropping them off at school on time and bringing them after school when you are expected to be at work around the time school starts and your workday lasts longer than the school day. A long commute can make it nearly impossible. When you consider that many children also have extra-curricular activities, medical appointments, or special needs, the logistics alone can be too much to handle for a working parent. This leads many families to decide that one parent should not work and instead be a stay-at-home parent. If you are a non-working parent and are concerned about financial issues after divorce, a DuPage County, IL divorce lawyer can work together with you on a plan to protect your rights.

How Can Equitable Division Help?

It suits some families to have both parents in full-time jobs. It means that both parents are contributing to the family’s finances and possibly to their financial futures with perks like pension plans and insurance that offer better conditions the longer you pay into them. In such a case, the parents generally need to outsource childcare. Either the children’s grandparents or a hired babysitter will take care of things like picking them up after school, watching them in the afternoon, giving them dinner, and putting them to bed.

For other families, what works best is to have one parent focused more on the family’s finances, generally by having a full-time job and less flexibility. The other parent is more focused on the family’s other needs, like household maintenance, cooking, drop-offs, pick-ups, and after-school time. The stay-at-home parent can be so busy with all their family responsibilities that they would not be able to hold down a job if they wanted. On the other hand, the fact that they are taking care of all these things gives the other parent the ability to work and focus on their career and earn a livelihood.

One might think that courts would decide more favorably for the parent who has ensured the family’s financial stability by working. However, they also recognize the important role played by the other parent, as well as their contribution to the family’s finances by enabling the other parent the freedom to work. In a state like Illinois, where divorce settlements are based on an equitable division of assets rather than an equal division of assets, all of these factors are taken into consideration.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Wheaton, IL, Divorce Lawyer

If you are a stay-at-home mom and are nervous about how you will be able to ensure your financial stability after divorce, you should speak with an experienced DuPage County divorce lawyer about how equitable division can help you. At Goostree Law Group, we offer free consultations, so feel free to call 630-364-4046 today and start feeling empowered by the information we can share with you.