Grey Divorce

Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family & Marriage Research has found that while the overall trend in America over the last 20 years has seen the divorce rate on the decline, the rate of dissolved marriages for those age 50 and above (i.e. the 'baby boomer' generation) has doubled in that same time. This phenomenon has become known as the 'grey divorce.' One family law attorney, Lisa Helfend Meyers, has written a piece about the differences that she has noticed between those who pursue grey divorces and younger people who also end their marriages. Meyers notes that child custody issues tend not to exist in these older divorces, because the couples' children tend to be at least in their teen years, and can make such decisions for themselves. Older divorcees are in a better financial position to get a divorce, because they generally have established themselves enough that they can afford not only to live alone, but can also pay for the divorce itself. Their better finances also make it more difficult to decide which partner is to receive which resources, however. Many aging baby boomers say that they have grown apart from and fallen out of love with their partners, but infidelity and the resulting pain associated with it is oftentimes even more devastating to an older relationship. The author claims that boomers are forgoing marriage in pursuit of personal happiness, and believes that this trend will continue for years to come. This form of marriage dissolution seems less harmful than the kind of divorce that plagues younger couples, because the children are affected less often and severely. It seems good for the family not only that divorce is on the decline, but also that the people who do pursue it do so for the best interests of the involved parties.