EVEN AFTER CHILD custody has been decided, the divorce process still poses further challenges. At the top of the list are the issues of spousal and child support—whether either or both are to be awarded and, if so, in what amounts. Often the attempts to resolve these questions can become as contentious as the debate over child custody. And in the case of child support, the discussion can become intertwined with that of custody. Spousal support, however, is viewed separately from both child support and child custody, although that does not prevent it from causing its own share of controversy.

Spousal support—yesterday's alimony

Originally, spousal support was called alimony and served a different function than it does today. The traditional nuclear family upheld as a model in the 1950s was made up of a husband who worked outside the home...