Judge Ryan of DC Superior Court, who appeared to me to hate women, used this notion as a "sword and not a shield." Because I had been the primary child carer while my then-husband earned his medical degree and solidified higher earning power, my earnings trajectory was interrupted. But because I could theoretically earn enough, Judge Ryan gave me two years' alimony -- on a 20-year-marriage -- to rehabilitate my working life enough to be head of household. I supported someone through medical school financially, then stayed home to raise the children, only to hear in court that I had only ever bought a few groceries throughout the entire marriage. A lot of men hate women. A lot.