Gone are the days when Connecticut fathers were primarily the ones paying child support after a divorce. Times have changed and now, in 40 percent of households with children, women are acting as the breadwinner. But it sometimes comes with a cost. This means that when the couple splits, it is becoming increasingly common for the woman to pay the man child support. This is what happened to actress Halle Berry. She was recently ordered to pay her ex-boyfriend – and father of their six-year-old daughter – $16,000 a month in child support.
This child support agreement amounts to nearly $200,000 a year in payments to Berry’s ex-boyfriend, 38-year-old model Gabriel Aubrey. The two dated for five years but never married. The two became involved in a child custody dispute in 2012 after Berry tried to move the girl to France, where Berry now lives with her husband and their son. Aubrey and Berry now share custody of their daughter.
On top of the monthly payments, 47-year-old Berry was also ordered to pay a retroactive amount of $115,000 as well as $300,000 in lawyer fees for Aubrey. In addition, Berry must also pay for her daughter’s school tuition.
In just the past several years, child support and custody have shifted dramatically. Stay-at-home dads are becoming more common while the woman works full-time outside the home to financially support the family. Women are feeling more empowered to give up the traditional role of stay-at-home mom in order to advance themselves professionally. In addition, both parents are more willing to share custody of the children than in the past. This means that women are more likely to pay child support and alimony – a trend that is likely to continue for many years.
