The opposition to the amended Maintenance Act, which provides for men to be paid alimony by their spouses upon the dissolution of a marriage or equivalent relationship, is a classic example of resistance to change from the top.

As reported in yesterday's Gleaner, 65 per cent of those who participated in a Bill Johnson poll were opposed to men receiving alimony, with only 30 per cent supporting the idea of post-break-up cash being transferred from purse to billfold.

However, while the overwhelming 85 per cent of women who were against alimony for men is not surprising, the 51 per cent of men who also took that position does raise some eyebrows. After all, with the rise of feminism and call for gender equality, as well as more women graduating from tertiary institutions and hence moving into well-paid jobs, one would expect a sense of male triumph that equality goes both ways.

That the number of men who see male alimony as a malady, outnumbering those who are all for it by eight per cent even, speaks to a deep-seated view of what constitutes male responsibility. And that certainly does not entail depending on payments from a woman who, more than likely, will be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of any children from that union on a day-to-day basis.

However, while many women (certainly the 81 per cent represented by female poll participants who were firmly against alimony payments to men) will rejoice at this majority male stance, they should be aware that it does have its demerits.

It is highly possible that it is part and parcel of an attitude that a man should be in control of the finances, that not only should he live on the figurative bread earned by the literal sweat of his brow but also that he should not allow himself to bein a position where he is dependent on a woman for support. So before we rejoice that over half the male population, as represented in the Bill Johnson poll, disagree with a law that gives them a landmark level of equality to women, we must consider that they may believe it makes them inferior. And this would mean that they naturally consider women, who are normally the recipients of alimony, inferior. Also, it probably does reflect a level of scorn for a man who allows himself to be in such a position in a relationship that at the end of it he needs to be supported.

Perhaps these are early days yet, as the law was amended less than two years ago. In another five years things may change and more men will agree with and utilise the Maintenance Act.

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