Bureau of Labor, nearly one third of women earned more than their husbands in 2011. Women now make up half the work force, however, and according to the U.S. If the marriage failed, the wife was entitled to lifelong support as her means of survival. The original alimony laws most states follow is based on out of fashion laws regarding stay at home wives who were financially dependent on their husbands. Several states have proposed laws to limit alimony based on the earning power of the ex-spouse, and economic changes in the payer’s circumstances. There could be some relief coming for those in the same predicament as Schochet as alimony rules are being challenged. This has become a common scenario for spouses under ordered alimony payments who can no longer come up with the monies to pay. His verdict? He was found guilty of contempt of court and went to jail without passing ‘go’ or collecting $200! The time came when he no longer had the money or an income. A victim of the declining economy, he lost his job and ran through his savings trying to stay current with his payments. Out of that he paid $100,000 a year to his ex-wife for alimony and child support. Schochet, a New Jersey native and former portfolio manager of Citadel Investment Group, earned $1 million per year on average. The definition of alimony? A “circle of hell there’s just no way out of,” as Ari Schochet described it after being sent to jail on numerous occasions for missed alimony payments.