When you reach middle age, 50 doesn’t seem so old anymore. If you’re lucky, you have decades of living still ahead of you – solid, happy, healthy years of life. The question is: Are you eager to spend this time with your spouse or would you rather find new fulfillment or something that’s been missing? The gray divorce trend, which starts with couples age 50 and over, is rising, and it doesn’t show any signs of going away.
Stats Surrounding Gray Divorce
Rather than a trend, gray divorce is now considered a phenomenon. It’s attributed to the Baby Boomers, a generation of go-getters, of people who aren’t afraid to take what they want for themselves and not settle for less.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that almost 1 out of 4 people going through a divorce in the United State is over age 50.
- The divorce rate for Americans over age 50 has doubled, per the CDC, and more than doubled for couples over age 65.
- Female financial independence, living longer, feeling good, and indifference to the stigma of divorce have fueled many splits.
The Empty Nest Syndrome
Some couples can’t wait until their kids are off to college and out of the house. They’ve been holding their breath until the day they can travel together or live as they please without children and obligations weighing them down. It’s easy to consider these as some of the most compatible couples – but not everyone rolls this way. When raising kids is the focus:
- Couples neglect to nurture their own relationship.
- It becomes clear that the one thing a pair had in common is now MIA.
- The effort to connect and bond has been abandoned.
The Transition to Retirement
If it isn’t an empty nest that prompts divorce, sometimes retirement can be the thing that leads to a split. This time in life is a big deal, especially if one half of a couple retires and the other does not, especially if one person wants a new job and new tethers and the other wants room to finally spread their wings.
- Couples have different ideas about how they’d like to spend their golden years.
- They’re incompatible when it comes to spending hard-earned savings.
- They have a lack of shared interests and no longer find joy in spending time together.
See the Possibilities in Gray Divorce
For couples that have spent decades together and raised a family together, gray divorce doesn’t have to be inevitable. Working with a couples therapist or counselor to try to put your relationship back together is certainly worth the effort. Some people, though, are eager for this change in life, for a milestone age or the death of a parent or an early retirement – and they opt for this transition to set them free from their marriage.
If you are interested in learning more about a Michigan divorce, spousal support, and more, reach out to Femminineo Attorneys. Contact our family law office to schedule a consultation.