I read today that women, in increasing numbers, no longer need men to have a full and satisfying life. Three cheers for the women! I am serious. I understand that feeling(from the other side of the fence)and have a great amount of respect for those who decide to go it alone. BUT...If they choose to go it alone, it should be on thier own. If a woman makes the choice from the beginning of her adulthood to do that, fine. If a woman decides that her marriage is isn't working and wants to bail for her own reasons and not reasons her man can control or change, she should have to sign away her rights to anything that is his, including his money. Sure, split the stuff you accumulated and the equity in the house, but there should be no alimony involved and no going after anything she had no hand in aquiring. In such cases, "irreconcilable differences" should not be allowed. There should have to be a specific reason she is leaving and one that can be proven and corroborated. If there are children involved, child support should be fair, not the raping it is by the court system we have today. I found it interesting that the fedaral government said my kids only needed $3,500 a year(each, my standard deduction)), but the DA Child Support division thinks it took $7,800 a year(each) to support them(I now have custody and receive NOTHING from their mother)!

If there are no reasons other than "she needs her space to pursue her individuality" involved, alimony should be taken off the table, no matter how long the couple was together. It's not the guys fault a woman decides she wants something different.

As a man who paid $500 a month(on top of the $650 Ch. Sup.)to a woman who never worked or made any attempt to contribute to the home before she decided I was too demanding for asking her to do things like get up before noon, wash the clothes while I worked two jobs(I worked part time for a small Railroad signal company in the mid 90s)to feed her voracious appetite for spending(her food bill wasn't cheap either!), and make dinner after I had worked a 16 hour day, I know from whence I speak!

I wonder why it is that when a woman wants to stay single or bocome single she is exploring her indepenence, but when a man wants the same thing, he is being a selfish, insensitive butthead. I, myself, enjoy for the most part, the confines of a relationship(as my three marriages attest), but some guys aren't that way. I have heard guys I know who chose never to marry or become involved in a commited relationship called all sorts of unflattering names! I just think they are exercising good judgement and being honest with themselves and those around them. Women who make the same decision are seen as strong, independent and forward thinking, and I couldn't agree more, just make it the same for the guys who make that decision.

As for guys who decide they are not cut out for relationships after they have become involved in one, they too are ostracized. They are slapped with some societal moniker associating them with smelly parts of the human anatomy and they certainly will receive no monetary compensation from a partner who may or may not earn more than they do, and they don't deserve it. I just think the playing field should be level when it is a woman who makes that decision. You go, you go without compensation or aid. Life is an expensive proposition and it should notbe paid for by someone you left for selfish reasons.