IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY: 3 INTANGIBLE MARITAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF STAY-AT-HOME PARENTS

Getting a divorce often requires pulling out a calculator and figuring out a fair division of assets and property, making sure that both sides get what they need. But if what if one of the individuals has been a stay-at-home parent and doesn’t have a monetary value to place on their contributions? It can be a tricky situation to work with, so it’s important to not sell yourself short when evaluating the intangible benefits you provided to the marriage.

Here are three areas to consider when going through a divorce:

• Giving up your career goals: Many times couples will transition from a two income household to one income once they have a child. Even if the newly christened stay-at-home parent is excited about the prospect of leaving their job, it is still worth accounting for the fact that he or she gave up their career goals in order to raise a family. This sacrifice isn’t something that can be valued monetarily, so it should be taken into account when discussing child support and spousal support arrangements.
• Benefits of increased property maintenance: When both partners work full time, household chores and maintenance are generally saved for the weekend. While it does allow for the labor to be split evenly, typically there is less time to devote to these tasks. A stay-at-home parent, on the other hand, is usually home most of the time and can more regularly maintain this property investment. This is an important semi-tangible aspect to consider when it comes to the division of property in the marriage.
• Increased parental involvement and safety: Aside from the money you’d save by not having to pay for daycare, a stay-at-home parent is in a position to provide the intangible benefit of giving more attention to their children. Rather than coming home to an empty house, kids are assured that they will get help with homework, have the structure of completing chores, and will be safer with a parent always present. This increased responsibility should be an influencing factor when discussing child support orders.

The contributions provided by a stay-at-home parent are truly priceless and are significant enough to be heavily considered during divorce proceedings. Rather than painting the picture of one parent supporting the family monetarily and the other one not doing much in the way of support, it levels the playing field and demonstrates that both parents have contributed equally and therefore are entitled to equal treatment when it comes to property and assets.

The divorce lawyers at Alexandra Geczi PLLC | Family Law understand the value of stay-at-home parents and have experience helping stay-at-home parents facing divorce.