In the past it was almost always assumed that a husband would earn more income than his wife. This is why a prenuptial agreement was considered a precaution designed to protect the husband’s assets should the marriage later end in a divorce, in Connecticut or anywhere else. For the most part, husbands still generally do earn more than their wives, but it is becoming increasingly more common for some wives to earn more than their husbands.
A recent study revealed that the proportion of households with dual incomes in which wives make more than their husbands has been increasing. However, this only accounts for 16 percent of these households with two incomes. On the other hand, this number is growing, especially in divorces with high levels of assets.
This is why it may be more important for women to protect themselves through a prenuptial agreement that clearly states who will own which assets if a couple divorces. If a couple is already married, but did not create a prenuptial agreement, the parties may still be able to protect their assets through a postnuptial agreement. This simply means that the terms of any subsequent divorce issues are being agreed to after the couple has already finalized the union.
It is important that a prenuptial and postnuptial agreement is carefully negotiated and drafted. Even a minor error in legal language can result in problems if a Connecticut couple later decides to divorce. A working knowledge of family law as it relates to prenups and postnups may prove to be helpful. Once a valid and comprehensive legal document is produced, it can save couples significant time and expense in the future if “happily ever after” becomes shorter than they expected.
Source: Forbes, “Divorcing Women: When You Earn More Than Your Husband,” Jeff Landers, April 10, 2013