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Why gray divorce is growing more common

On Behalf of | Apr 8, 2022 | Divorce |

It is becoming more and more common for older individuals to get divorced. When talking about someone who is over the age of 50, this is generally referred to as gray divorce. Studies have found that it is happening more even though divorce rates for younger people are falling.

This is interesting on its own, but it also quickly leads to the question of why this would happen. If other age brackets are getting divorced less, what is it about those in the 50-plus age group that means they want to get divorced more? Are there any inherent factors to consider?

The kids leave

One potential reason is that the children may move out of the house, leaving a couple to finally address the issues in their relationship. They may have been waiting until the children left, or they may have simply been so involved being parents that they didn’t realize that their marriage was struggling.

Divorce used to be viewed differently

Another issue is that these couples likely got married when divorce was looked at much differently, and it was much more socially taboo. This is not the case anymore, so some of these couples may simply be catching up with the times and realizing that they can end their marriage.

There’s less dependency

Older couples would also often stay together because of financial dependency. They needed each other in order to make ends meet. This would often happen when one person worked and the other did not. But, now that we have more families with two working parents, they each feel a bit more independence if they want to get divorced.

If you’re considering a divorce at any age, be sure you understand all the legal options at your disposal. You want to take all the right steps to protect your future.

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