A bouquet is seen in the snow as a bride poses for a photograph after a group wedding ceremony in Harbin, China, January 6, 2010.

　　Tables have turned in US divorce courts with more women paying their former husbands alimonyand child support than ever before, according to US lawyers.

　　As women climb higher up the career ladder and outpace their exes in salary, when love goes wrong and marriages break up they are being compelled to contribute to the livelihood of their former spouses.

　　And some are not happy about it.

　　More than half, 56 percent, of divorce lawyers across the United States have seen an increase in mothers paying child support in the last three years and 47 percent have noted a hike in the number of women paying alimony, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

　　"It shows that women have really moved up financially and that in many instances they are the major bread winners in a lot of families," said Alton Abramowitz, the president-electof the academy.

　　"The glass ceilinghas been pierced and more and more women have taken over the financial responsibilities and have been saddled with them as well. It is a fact of the way our society has evolved over the last number of years."

　　Although women have made strides professionally, the divorce rate in the United States has remained fairly constant. About half of marriages in the United States end in divorce. The rate has hovered between 46 and 53 percent for decades, he added.

　　Just as many men grumbled about paying alimony to their former wives, women are not pleased with the turnaround.

　　"We see women who are every bit as angry as their male counterparts, maybe more so, when they are confronted with the concept of paying spousal support to a man," said Abramowitz.

　　The gender switch in alimony payments is just one of many changes he has seen during his four decades as a lawyer.

　　"When I started practicingin 1973 there was no equitable distribution of property," he said.

　　The 1,600 members of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers handle separations, prenuptial agreements, custody battles, property evaluation and division, the rights of unmarried couples, as well as divorce and child support.

　　美国律师称，如今美国的离婚案审判发生了重大转变，越来越多的女性付赡养费和子女抚养费给前夫，这是前所未有的。

　　现在女性们在职场上步步高升，薪水逐渐赶超伴侣，当她们的爱情出了问题，婚姻破裂，她们只好被迫付生活费给前夫。

　　但有些女性并不乐意这么做。

　　据美国婚姻律师学会称，全美超过半数（56%）的离婚律师发现，支付子女抚养费的母亲在过去三年增多了，47%的人指出支付生活费给前夫的女性人数也增加了。

　　该学会的主席当选人埃尔顿 阿布拉莫维茨说：“这表明女性确实在经济上有所改善，很多情况下她们是家中的主要经济支柱。”

　　“玻璃天花板正在被穿透，越来越多的女性负起了赚钱养家的责任，接过了经济重担。这是过去数年内我们社会发展方式的真实变化。”

　　尽管女性在职场上有了很大进展，但是美国离婚率依然相当稳定。美国约半数的婚姻以离婚告终。他补充说，几十年来，美国离婚率一直徘徊在46%到53%之间。

　　许多男性因为要给前妻付赡养费而抱怨，女性也不喜欢这种局面逆转过来。

　　阿布拉莫维茨说：“我们发现女性和需要付赡养费的离婚男性一样恼火，或许当她们想到是给一个男人付配偶赡养费的时候，会感到更为恼火。”

　　赡养费支付上的性别扭转只是他干律师这一行40年来所见到的许多变化之一。

　　他说：“当我1973年开始做律师时，并不存在公平的财产分配。”

　　美国婚姻律师学会的1600名会员处理离婚、子女抚养、分居、婚前协议、监护权争夺、财产评估和分割、未婚同居夫妇权利等案件。（来源：新东方英语）