If you’re a woman 50 years of age or older and you’ve decided to divorce your husband, you’re not alone.
Most people know that the divorce rate is high; however, few people realize that the divorce rate among “baby boomers” has increased dramatically.
A recent Wall Street Journal article reports, “Among people ages 50 and older, the divorce rate has doubled over the past two decades.”
This data comes from the U.S. Vital Statistics Report and the U.S. Census Bureau, compiled by a pair of Bowling Green State University sociologists. While overall, divorce rates have declined since the 1980s, the rate of “gray divorce” is the highest it’s ever been.
The Wall Street Journal hypothesizes that the increasing divorce rate among woman over 50 can be tied to longer life spans, previous divorces, and changing attitudes about marriage.
Many of these women had postponed filing for a divorce until their children had gotten old enough to leave home. With their children gone, these women were unwilling to continue with their marriages. For good reasons, they pursued long overdue divorces.
Usually, it’s the wife who initiates a divorce. Wives file almost two-thirds of all divorce cases. The percentage of women filing for divorce increases significantly for those women who have some degree of independence due to their employment or economic circumstances.
You might have been unhappy for quite some time, or you might have experienced some recent change—like infidelity or the worsening alcoholism of your husband—that has effectively ended your marriage. Regardless of the reason, you know that the time has come for you to file for divorce.
If you are 50 or older, you need to be careful in moving forward with your divorce.
Getting divorced is relatively easy. Having enough property and income to live a good life after you are divorced is much more difficult. To build a better life after your divorce, you will need the skilled assistance of a Charleston divorce lawyer to represent you in your divorce.