The Rise in Gray Divorce

By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Victor Harris, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida

Picture a divorcing couple. Maybe you think of a man and woman arguing angrily, or children looking on in concern as one parent tells the other to leave the house. But now let’s ask this question: How old are the man and woman you’re imagining?

If they were under the age of fifty, your idea of who is likely to get divorced might need some updating. A 2012 article in a gerontological research journal shares some findings that may surprise you about divorce and older Americans. In fact, in the years between 1990 and 2010, the overall US divorce rate stayed about the same. However, the rate among people over fifty doubled. In fact, about a quarter of all 2010 divorces involved people in this age group.

While divorce was more common among those between 50 and 64 than those 65 and over, the rate climbed in both age brackets. And although Blacks and less educated people experienced higher divorce rates, income seemed to be relatively unimportant. What increased risk the most was having been previously married and divorced. This group has about a 70% divorce rate.

In some ways, none of this should come as a surprise. Remarriages are more fragile than first marriages, and the Baby Boom generation, who began reaching their fifties and sixties in the period under study, is well known for their complicated marital pasts.

But this rise in the number of divorced older adults has important implications, both for families and the country as a whole. Without a spouse to turn to, divorced elders are likely to need more help from children and relatives. This could be hard to come by in today’s geographically distant families. Divorced elders are also more likely to be poor–which, in turn, can contribute to ill health.

In today’s America, it seems, divorce can and does occur at any age—and may increase some older people’s vulnerability. Families may need to pull together to make sure that all their members are cared for in their later years.

(Photo credit: Alone by Ari Bakker. CC BY 2.0.)

References:

Brown, S.L., & Lin, I.-F. (2012). The gray divorce revolution: rising divorce among middle-aged and older adults, 1990–2010. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67(6), 731–741. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbs089.

 

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Posted: April 4, 2014


Category: Relationships & Family, Work & Life
Tags: Health And Wellness, Healthy Aging, Healthy Relationships


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