Making life-changing decisions when it comes to ending a marriage is no longer the exclusive purview of couples in their 30s and 40s. Their older contemporaries in the 50, 60, and even 70-year-old demographic are more pulling the plug on their long-term unions than ever.
In reality, marital dissolutions overall are in decline. In 2020, divorces numbered approximately 630,000, significantly decreasing from 944,000 twenty years prior.
Ever-increasing numbers
Divorce rates in the older category have doubled since 1990, with marital dissolutions growing for even more senior people. Experts cite the challenges of multi-decade monogamy and the pressures of marriage over a prolonged amount of time. Surprisingly millennial marriages have a lower rate than their post-Generation-X counterparts.
Infidelity is not the driving force it once was in ending marriages. Emotional betrayals and continuing neglect/denial of needs, wants, and preferences are far more damaging. Simply put, people are living longer and are more focused on their overall quality of life. Loveless marriages that lack intimacy with emotional needs not prioritized are no longer tolerable.
The stereotype of the older set has also changed. A combination of improved medical care and overall, ever-evolving attitudes about age continues to evolve. The possibility of living to see a 100th birthday makes one more introspective about the future.
Divorce at any age is a traumatic experience, both for couples and their loved ones. While emotions run high throughout the family, legal help is needed to navigate through the entire process and look out for your best interests.
