After spending years together, many marriages seem cemented. Spouses have likely seen each other at their best and worst, and they have worked through large and small issues. More and more couples in their 50s and 60s, however, have started making the difficult decision to get divorced.
According to CNN.com, since 1990, the divorce rate among people aged 50-years and older in the U.S. has doubled. Several factors contribute to the increase in later-in-life divorces.
Less social stigma
The social stigma around separating and getting divorced has and continues to greatly decrease. Not facing the same shame if they choose to move on from marriage as those before them may have felt, many make the choice to move on from marriages that no longer work.
Time for another chapter
Compared to previous generations, people today live on average much longer. Feeling they have enough time, many people choose to pursue a new chapter after supporting a spouse through a career or raising children.
The kids have grown up
After raising their kids together, people may find they have grown apart or no longer share the things in common that they once shared. According to Today.com, many people find it easier to dissolve marriages after they have raised their children. Once the kids have grown up and moved out on their own, people may feel more able to make a clean break from their partners.
At any age, the decision to divorce often comes with a range of emotions, as well as issues to settle. However, reaching fair settlements may afford them the support they need to begin rebuilding and moving forward.
