Just passing through CMV, but I actually lived out your example. When my ex and I married just out of college in 1995, I had an entry-level administrative job and he was actually unemployed, having recently left a retail sales position. I stayed home after our oldest was born in 1997, eventually homeschooled both kids, and by the time we separated last summer he was making $280k.
Fair settlement? Sure, dividing up the assets 50/50 was simple enough, but how do you account for his salary being one that I could never, ever hope to attain? If the divorce settlement is supposed to leave us on "equal footing" going forward, how to you level the playing field when one partner is looking at a quarter-million salary while the other is starting over at minimum wage?
The most common response I get is that I was taking a risk, that I sacrificed my own future. Fair enough, I gambled and it didn't pay off. But he undoubtedly benefited from me being home. He was able to put in insane hours at work in those early years - often not getting home until after midnight - and he was able to accept business trips without batting an eye. That he was able to advance in his job as quickly as he did because I was staying home shouldn't really be in question. And he benefited on a personal level, too: He never got up with the kids, never missed a day of work because they were sick, never lifted a finger around the house, and was never expected to run an errand. Outside of his 40 hours of work, his free time was exactly that - free time.
So, what ended up being "fair" in my case? After a 19 year marriage, I've got alimony for 6 years, which is one year beyond my youngest's high school graduation. I headed back to school this summer, which means that both of my kids are also headed back to "real" school this fall. The certificate I'm going for will only take a year, so hopefully I'll be able to get a job next summer. The field I'm going into pays peanuts until you get 3+ years experience, so I've got my fingers crossed I'll be able to make a living wage by the time alimony ends. (Actually my fingers are crossed he doesn't move to Spain with his girlfriend, which he's been hinting at since December!)
I don't know what I would have done if alimony wasn't available. Probably some variation of selling the house and living off of savings while going back to school, likely some amount of public assistance thrown in, too.