Massachusetts 2009 Divorce Court Statistics
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2007 IRS Alimony Statistics
View spreadsheet on separate page Data Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) |
Women's Participation in the Work ForceRead the Report With Data Tables Introduction "The past several decades have been marked by notable changes in women's labor force activities. Women's labor force participation is significantly higher today than it was in the 1970s, particularly among women with children, and a larger share of women work full time and year round than in past decades. [In 1975, 47.4% of women with children under 18 worked. In 2008 the percentage jumped to 71.2%. Source: BLS Statistics)] In addition, women have increasingly attained higher levels of education: among women aged 25 to 64 who are in the labor force, the proportion with a college degree roughly tripled from 1970 to 2008. Women's earnings as a proportion of men's earnings also have grown over time. In 1979, women working full time earned 62 percent of what men did; in 2008, women's earnings were 80 percent of men's." Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Source: Table 6. |
The Jobless Gender GapLast month the unemployment rate climbed above 10% for the first time in more than a quarter century. Less noticed is that male workers crossed this same threshold six months earlier. Since the U.S. became the world's dominant economic power, no downturn has fallen more disproportionately on one gender. The unemployment rate for men, 11.4%, based on seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, outpaces the rate for women, 8.8%. We now have the largest jobless gender gap since tracking became possible in 1948. The gap reached its previous peak, 2.5 points, in 1967 and 1978. Today's gap has exceeded that for three months. It's endured at two points or above for an unprecedented length, eight months and counting. As of the end of October, the U.S. had lost 7.3 million jobs in this Great Recession. Men account for 5.3 million of that loss. The shift is so dramatic that women now constitute 49.9% of the work force and will soon outnumber men. So some have come to call this downturn the "he-cession." More... |
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Massachusetts Divorce Courts
- Alimony modifications account for almost 30% of all Massachusetts Family and Probate and Court Cases in 2008;
- ...AND modifications are 70% of the new divorce case load;
- ... AND, the amount of modifications increased almost 7% from 2007 to 2008.
Given the budget tightening in the Court system, the Massachusetts Legislature must pass HB 1785 to clarify the Alimony laws and cut this costly expense to Massachusetts tax payers. Excessive judicial discretion coupled with life-time alimony payments leads to excessive Alimony modifications and court costs.
2007 IRS Alimony Statistics
- On the national average, lower income alimony payers are in the greatest financial stress, paying 20% of their Adjusted Gross Income.
- Alimony is a divorce welfare benefit to a small percentage (less than 1%) of lower-earning ex-spouses in states where the laws and courts do not expect the lower-earning or under-employed ex-spouse to become self-sufficient and independent.
Women Workers Have Jumped
- 71% of women with children under 18 worked in 2008 compared to 47% in 1975.
- Women comprise one-half of the workforce.
- Across the economy, women's wages have increased from 62% of men's wages in 1979 to 80% in 2008.
Men Have Lost Most of the Jobs
- "The unemployment rate for men, 11.4%, based on seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, outpaces the rate for women, 8.8%." The Wall Street Journal, below.
- "As of the end of October, the U.S. had lost 7.3 million jobs in this Great Recession. Men account for 5.3 million of that loss." The Wall Street Journal, below.
