I think this is one of those things that we Europeans find odd about the United States. That the richer person in a marriage becomes obligated to support the ex-spouse, should a divorce happen.
As I understand it, it had it's place back in the days when (mainly) women weren't expected to work and be stay-at-home wifes. If a divorce happened alimony was put in place so she didn't starve to death.
However, that's not really the case anymore in today's world. Both men and women are expected to sustain themselves, whether they are single or married. So why is it still a thing? I even read an, in my opinion ridiculous, argument that alimony is meant to make sure that the poorer part still lives at the same quality of life as he/she did when they were married. That baffles me, quite frankly, as one shouldn't expect to live as good of a life as single without a shared economy. If anything, it's unfair to those singles who have never been married and could reap such benefits.If you're single, you're single and you're on your own imo.
So what's the deal with alimony?