Gray divorce refers to people over the age of 50 who seek to divorce their spouse.
In recent years, gray divorce has been on the rise in the United States. The rate of gray divorce is likely to keep increasing in the future.
Public perception of divorce has shifted
Mental health and self-care have become popular topics of conversation in recent years. As people become less concerned with public perception and more focused on what is personally fulfilling, they are choosing to leave marriages that they recognize as unhealthy or simply unhappy. Divorce is no longer seen as a failed marriage but as a recognition that a marriage did not work.
Children out of the home
After years of focusing on raising children and overlooking small issues in a marriage, couples who find themselves alone together in an empty house are realizing that they are no longer compatible with their spouse.
Women are more financially independent
It used to be typical for the wife to stay home while the husband worked and provided for the family. These days, more women are working and pursuing professional dreams, and they are able to contribute financially to the marriage. Instead of being dependent on their husbands, women can support themselves, giving them the option to unfulfilling marriages.
The simplest reason that people pursuing divorces are becoming older each year is that people are living longer. Life expectancy has increased. Older people in unhappy or unfulfilling marriages are reconsidering spending many additional years in an unhappy marriage.