Mistakes Men Making During Divorce

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Illinois family law attorney

Stereotypically, it is the woman in a divorce that ends up with the short end of the stick. For years, common property distribution laws unintentionally favored men, who were more likely to have been the primary earner in a marriage. Illinois, along with most other states in the U.S., is now an equitable distribution state, meaning that marital property is split evenly between the couple, no matter whose name is on the official title. This is just one example of how the tables have turned. According to the Chicago Tribune, men are more likely these days to make serious blunders in their divorces that end up having devastating consequences.

One of the most serious blunders a man makes during divorce is to present sloppy financial records. “You might have to pay a little more on the front end in attorney fees,” reports the Tribune, “but at the end of the day, not being attentive to these financial records can be one of the costliest mistakes” a man can make. Another serious mistake men make is to move out of the house before the divorce proceedings are initiated. If there are children involved, maintaining that daily contact with the kids will help your custody arguments down the road. Withholding compromising information is yet another mistake men are prone to make—“your lawyer needs to know anything and everything your wife might say about you to hurt you or your case,” reports the Tribune.

Men, however, still seem to fare better after the divorce is finalized than women. According to an Australian study and as reported by Jezebel, “men’s incomes go up an average of 20 percent in the four years following divorce, while women go down 2 percent.” This could have to do with child raising responsibilities—it has nothing to do with emotional response. Women, in fact, are said to fare better emotionally following divorce than men. Nearly 50 percent of divorced men reported feeling lonely a year after the divorce was finalized, compared to less than 40 percent of women.

If you or someone you know is considering divorce in the Chicago area, the most important first step—no matter where you are in the process—is to seek the counsel of a qualified divorce attorney. Contact the Law Offices of Matthew M. Williams today.