Can a husband seek spousal support on the basis that his wife’s income is more than twice that of his?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Gebresadik v Tesfay, 2021 BCSC 127 (CanLII):

Similarly, in Elias v. Elias, 2006 BCSC 124, the husband sought spousal support on the basis that his wife’s income was twice as much as his. The parties had been married for 24 years, and their youngest child was almost 19 years old at the time of trial. Both parties had worked throughout the marriage and were self-supporting. The court found the husband was not entitled to spousal support and said that even with a long-term marriage, equalization of lifestyle or income is not required, “While a disparity in lifestyle will need to be addressed, no cases have held that lifestyle or incomes have to be equalized” (para. 65).

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