There have been some concerning new figures showing those over the age of 60 are divorcing more than ever. Divorce rates in this age bracket, has more than tripled in the last twenty years.
The new figures have surprised many but there are a number of reasons behind the current surge.
One of the more obvious reasons is the amount of older people who are now living in the UK. The longer people live, expectedly this pushes up the number of divorces. Some older people may take the decision that they do not want to be in an unhappy marriage for another twenty years and so divorce could open up new doors.
The second reason is more to do with the stigma that divorce use to bring. Generally there seems to be a relaxation of the attitude towards divorce. There no longer seems to be the same concern, shame of stigma that there once once 30 years ago. Divorce now seems to be an option.
One of the other reasons the Office for National Statistics looked at was the divorce rates in men and women across the board. The figures showed in general, women are more likely to file for divorce then men, with only 34% of divorces being granted to men. Yet, when you start to look at the over 60s, there is a complete split down the middle. Men are just as likely as women to be filing for divorce.
There could be many reasons for this; women now have much more independence and most will have been working throughout much of their life and will have their own money to be able to live independently. Perhaps as life expectancy increases, the so-called ‘Mid Life Crisis’ is actually being pushed back until later in life, once a man feels he has seen his responsibilities to his wife and family through.
Whatever the reasons, the trend has developed over the last 20 years and it will be interesting to see what the next 20 years bring for the new ‘Silver Generation’.
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