Love may not cost a thing, but getting divorced can be costly. After being awarded $44,000 a month in alimony and child support from ex-husband Nasir “Nas” Jones, Kelis Rogers is reportedly heading back to court for more money. We took to the streets of New York City to find out what real guys think about child support and spousal support.
“I think that the child support laws in New York are fair. The court system has to be fair and it helps hold men accountable. In addition to child support, I think that a man should take care of a woman, especially after she has had [their] baby.”
“Honestly, spousal support and child support are one in the same because the woman can do with it as she pleases. I’m going through this now and I’m not comfortable with the amount of alimony and child support. It’s excessive. The way the government bases the amount on income is fair, but they should also put restrictions on how it’s spent.”
“I definitely think that a man is required to pay some sort of child support for his kids. However, if the woman is in a great financial position and the guy is not, then that should be taken into consideration. Income is a huge factor. As far as alimony is concerned, I think making a man pay for divorcing his wife is definitely unjust. I think it’s the kids that always suffer the most during a break-up.”
“A man should pay child support, but not for thousands of thousands of dollars like Nas. What does she need all that money for? The amount should be based on how long they were together, her income and how many kids. I’m all for a prenup, with the divorce rate so high in America. I’ve always thought about if I got married, the alimony and child support that could come if it didn’t work out.”
“I’m not for spousal support. Each person is their own person before marriage, so they should be able to take care of themselves in and out of marriage. Child support I’m for because it’s two people and it’s both of your child. And if the father isn’t seeing the child at all he should pay a little more to help.”
“I’m not presently working and I have twins; a boy and a girl. I’m able to contribute to their needs financially through my unemployment [checks]. I’m not working so the court system should take that into consideration. I do what I have to do [for my children] regardless. If it were up to me, there would be no alimony. What’s yours is yours and what’s mine is mine.”
“The amount of alimony a woman gets should be based on how much she makes. With Kelis and Nas, she should have gotten something but that was too much. Also they were together for less than five years. You should be together at least ten before you are trying to get money.”
“My ex-wife and I came to an agreement ourselves about what I should pay her towards the caring of our teenage daughter. I pay child support every two weeks plus I still help out with things like back-to-school shopping and birthday parties. Spousal support? I don’t know, my ex-wife makes about as much as I do. As a matter of fact, she makes a little bit more than I do!”
“I think that child support should be based upon income and the age of the child. And if the father is not working, he can’t be expected to pay regularly for a child that both parents decided to have. I think that alimony should be based on income as well. If a woman has become accustomed to a certain standard of living while she’s married and her husband decides to leave her, I do think he is obligated to assist her in maintaining that lifestyle once they’re divorced. If you’ve been married for like 15 years, you can’t just leave her on the street if she had been depending on you [financially] for all that time.”
“My wife and I didn’t even talk about a prenup, and I’ve been married 13 years. Spousal support should be conditional. If a woman is sitting around while her husband is busting his butt, and she’s messing up in some kind of way, she shouldn’t walk away with benefits. Some people get married for just that purpose – to leave with cash. Do your best to pick the right person and get married for the right reasons, and you don’t have to worry about it.”
“My daughter is grown, but until she was nine she lived with me. Once she lived with her mom, I paid child support straight to my daughter in her name. It taught her to budget. With spousal support, if you are married and a wife and kids have to move from a stable home, you should probably pay more than if you were single and had kids.”
Where do you stand on the child support versus spousal support debate? Sound off below.
