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Alimony The determination of alimony or spousal support differs significantly from one to another in the UnitedStates. Some state regulations, including those of Montana, Texas, Utah, Kansas, Maine, as well as Kentucky, give clear guidelines to adjudicators on the amount or period of alimony (Bureau of the Census 3). In Mississippi, Tennessee, as well as Texas, alimony is granted only in cases of civil unions or marriages that have lasted a decade or longer. The payments are also restricted to three years unless there are exceptional, explanatory circumstances.

Within Delaware, alimony is usually not granted in marriages of less than a decade. In Kansas, spousal support awards cannot exceed 10 years. In Utah, on the other hand, the duration of spousal support cannot go beyond the duration of the marriage (Bureau of the Census 5). In Mississippi, Maine, as well as Tennessee, alimony is granted in civil unions or marriages of one to two decades and the length is half the duration of the marriage barring explanatory circumstances. Other states, such as California, Massachusetts, Nevada, as well as New York, offer relatively blurred statutes, which only list the "factors" judges are supposed to consider when deciding alimony.

These factors include: gender of the recipient, as well as health of the parties. According to gender, females are more likely to be offered alimony than males as, historically, males made more earnings than females. Poor health also goes towards the need (Bureau of the Census 3). Poor health is a potential sign of incapacity to sustain oneself. Hence, the courts do not desire to leave one party impoverished. Other factors are also relative income of the parties, age of the spouses at the time of break up, and future financial prospects of the spouses.

According to relative income, both parties have the right to live according the life they were habituated. Also, with regards to age, a youthful couple will get short periods of alimony since they still have a chance to rebuild their lives. Work CitedBureau of the Census. Child Support and Alimony. Washington D.C: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1985. Print.