"A national AARP study found that the divorce rate among people ages 40 to 79
years old is on the rise"
More excerpts of article:
While the average marriage to end in divorce lasts about eight years, some
of these older couples have been together more than 20 years.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 76 percent of men who married between
1955 to 1959 stayed married for more than 20 years. For those married
between 1975 and 1979, the number making it past 20 years dropped to 58
percent.
AARP's "The Divorce Experience: A Study of Divorce at Midlife and Beyond"
found that about 66 percent of women initiate the split.
Many cite physical and emotional abuse, but say they postponed a divorce for
five or more years because they had children and wanted the family to stay
intact, said Xenia Montenegro, AARP's manager of market research.
But women also claim to divorce because of an unfaithful partner, they fell
out of love or they had trouble adjusting to the empty-nest life.
Known as the "Walk-Away Wife Syndrome," some women initiate the divorce
because they feel their husbands aren't responsive to fixing the problems of
their relationship. After years of nagging, these women surrender to the
notion that change isn't possible and often live silently until announcing
they want a divorce, sometimes to the surprise of their husbands.
The AARP study finds that 26 percent of men said they never saw it coming.
The idea that an older man leaves his wife for a younger woman is a common
misconception about divorce among older couples, the study said.
Source: AARP
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/lifestyles/294837,141LIF1.article
--- From 'Study: Don't Get Divorced / The 'Gray' Divorce - 3/15/ 07" -- a Listserv message from http://www.smartmarriages.com/
citing: The 'Gray Divorce', The Chicago Sun Times, March 14, 2007, By Michelle Mullins
Comments