In recent years, the divorce rate has been going up for those who are in their 50s or older. Many people refer to these cases as “gray divorces.” It just denotes that the couple is at a relatively older age when deciding to end a marriage that may have lasted for decades.
What is most interesting about the gray divorce trend, however, is that the divorce rate is going down for other age groups. So what is it about gray divorce that makes it more popular lately?
Retirement differences
For one thing, couples around retirement age may have very different ideas about how they want to spend it. If one person wants to stay home or get a second job and the other person just wants to travel, for example, then the couple may end up getting divorced just because they don’t see the same future over the next 10 to 15 years.
Empty nesters
One woman who got divorced at 62 said that part of the reason was that her children had moved out of the house. When couples become empty nesters, it sometimes pushes them to divorce because they suddenly see problems within the marriage. When the children lived at home, they were enough of a distraction that these weren’t as notable.
Changes in perception
Finally, it’s worth noting that some older generations viewed divorce as relatively taboo. That perception has massively changed, and modern couples don’t look at it the same way. Some couples who are getting divorced at an older age may just be adjusting the way that they look at divorce.
For all these reasons and more, the gray divorce rate keeps climbing. Couples who split up must be aware of their legal options.
