By Rachel Zarrell/Boston.com Staff

Like many Massachusetts laws, the legal rules for alimony – or the legal obligation to provide financial support to a spouse after a divorce – date back to the commonwealth’s earliest days, save for an update in the 1970s.

That changed when Gov. Deval Patrick signed a new bill on alimony on Sept. 26, 2011, that went into effect March 1. The changes to the alimony law is due in large part to Steve Hitner, the president and co-founder of the organization Mass Alimony Reform.

We spoke to Hitner, who is also the president of usdivorcemediation.com, about the drastic changes in alimony laws, and who is affected. Take a look at some of the changes here.