Well in the case of kids, that’s where child support comes in, and is a different story from alimony. In my view, barring a prenuptial agreement, it seems like the martial assets should be split, and that’s that. In the case where one spouse dropped out of the workforce to raise a family, alimony does have some merit, but it shouldn’t be a permanent monthly stipend; it may make sense to require some support for a couple years, but a breadwinner shouldn’t be required to support an ex spouse in perpetuity.