While divorce rates are generally falling (with a slight rise in 2012), there is one group where divorce rates are on the rise: the over-60s. Between 1990 and 2012, divorce rates among this group, often referred to as the ‘silver splitters’ or ‘silver separators’, rose by 85%, and the trend is continuing. If current trends continue, the International Longevity Centre UK estimates that by 2037, almost 1 in 10 people divorcing will be over 60. (In 2011, the average age at divorce was 44.5 years for men and 42.1 years for women.)
A number of reasons have been put forward to explain the break-up of marriages among older people. Some of the main ones are:
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
