Older People And Divorce By James Wallis At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The Statistics

Surveys carried out in this direction reveal upsetting data. Now the mean age of Divorce has moved up to about 40 years in case of men and women. Also, the average lifetime of a marriage is around 11 years before the couple go in for a divorce. This is a clear indication that the high divorce rate is not about people hurrying into marriage without understanding each other, repenting their decision and then filing for divorce immediately. It is about the couple who have ample time understanding each other and spent so many years together raising children and buying homes.

Reasons behind the Trend

Now, let us see what the experts feel are the reasons behind this new trend in the society today.

1.Financial Independence: Today, we have women who give higher priority to their career as men do. This has made them financially independent. Also, there are huge settlements awarded to women in case of a divorce. Hence, when they feel that they can no longer tolerate the marriage, they keep moving.

2.Life Expectancy: The life expectancy of a person has considerably increased in the last few years. Marsha, who had ended her 35 years of marriage at the age of 60, remarks that she does not want to continue living the miserable life. Although she is old enough, she feels she would live at least for 10 or 20 more years and it would be too long to put up with an unhappy marriage.

3.Acceptance: About 20 years back, divorce was a rare decision especially among old people. However, today divorce has become common with at least one out of two households witnessing a divorce in their families. This acceptance of the idea of divorce has also made old couple make a brave decision to divorce.

4.Post-Retirement Syndrome: When couple would have been busy with their professional lives when they were young, on divorce they get to spend a lot of time with each other. This might provide them with ample time to realise their differences and to figure out if they really love each other still. This, in turn, leads to divorce.

5.External Factors: Today there are hundreds of websites that offer dating services irrespective of a person’s age or marital status. This has led to infidelity and divorce even in the case of old couples.

Consequences of Older People Divorce

Being divorced, old and lonely, let us see the consequences of divorce on their lives:

1. Although dating websites can provide opportunities for infidelity, it is difficult for old people to find a serious life partner. Most of them end up being lonely during the days when they need real support.

2. Having spent so many years with their ex, it would be difficult for them to get adjusted to a life without them. With memories of the past haunting them, it could have devastating effects on the old and divorced.

3. While one of them decides to divorce, it might come as a complete shock and surprise for the other partner. They might be totally unprepared for the situation and might find themselves in a helpless situation.

4. If one of the divorced couple has been a homemaker all these years, they would find it difficult to build their career at an old age. It is difficult for them to qualify themselves and then enter the job market where more young and enthusiastic people are preferred.

This is a new problem that is cropping up in our society today and it is definitely alarming. By opting for divorce after having spent twenty or thirty years together, they would be removing the faith of grandchildren in marriage. With professional counselling, these couple can definitely overcome their differences since they have been able to live with the flaws of each other all through their lives. Else they might end up spending their final days sad, broke and a loner.

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