Court Opinion

ID: 9856058
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:37:06.467971+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:25:57.140611
License: Public Domain

LEVINE, Justice,
specially concurring.
In order to fairly consider the matter of spousal maintenance, a trial court must understand, as a general proposition, the economic realities of the marketplace as they affect those women who have foregone training in favor of homemaking or have absented themselves from the workplace and foregone career advancement in favor of homemaking, or have worked at low-paying jobs to supplement the primary breadwinner’s income.
Generally, the economic consequences of divorce for women are devastating. A wife’s post-divorce income is about half that of her former husband. Colorado Supreme Court Task Force on Gender Bias in the Courts, Colorado Office of the State Court Adm’r, Gender and Justice in the Colorado Courts 14 (1990). Because, as a rule, women have lower earning capacities, their net worth declines by 25% within four years of divorce, while their former husbands’ improve. Florida Supreme Court, Report of the Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Commission 4, 47 et seq. (1990); Rhode Island Committee on Women in the Courts, Rhode Island Supreme Court, A Report on Gender Bias 39 et seq. (1987). Within eight years after divorce a woman will often have a negative net worth. Fairness and Equality Committee, Idaho Supreme Court, Digest of State Reports on Gender Bias 9 (1991).
While I agree that the trial court’s award of six years’ maintenance is not clearly erroneous, I write specially to suggest that in a marriage of long duration like the one at bar, rehabilitative support for a term of years may not accomplish the rehabilitation intended. Not all disadvantaged spouses are able to or fit to seek college degrees or specialized training. Even if they are, the marketplace is often not a hospitable place and their lack of that experience that is customarily commensurate with age, will likely result in low wages if, in fact, they succeed in being hired. Therefore, should circumstances change so that Cindy’s college career does not achieve either the degree or job or income anticipated, she may move to have the judgment modified to provide permanent support to equalize the parties’ reduced standard of living, see Weir v. Weir, 374 N.W.2d 858 (N.D. 1985), or to provide the same standard of living if Ken’s income is sufficient. See Bagan v. Bagan, 382 N.W.2d 645 (N.D.1986). The point is that Cindy will have been absent from the workplace for close to two decades by the time she graduates from college and there should be no false assumption about the ease with which she can gain employment at a decent wage. The rehabilitative support will achieve its goal only if it enables Cindy to overcome her lack of training, foregone education and absence from the job market by obtaining a degree, finding a job, and earning a decent wage. If she fails to achieve any of these goals, after making reasonable effort, she should be entitled to permanent support.