According to a Psychology Today article published in August 2021, divorce rates among people over 50 have doubled since 1990. In Japan, where this phenomenon is known as the “retired husband syndrome,” the number of so-called “gray divorces” has quadrupled over the last two decades.
Among other age cohorts, both marriage rates and divorce rates have seen noticeable declines since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Deseret News recently published an estimate that roughly 339,000 marriages and 190,000 divorces failed to occur as predicted by recent trends. Some of this may be accounted for by the backlog in processing divorce cases to judgment in just about every court jurisdiction throughout the country; another reason is the pandemic forced many couples to postpone getting married.
Much of theincrease in later life divorcesis a natural function of positive social trends such as increased longevity and increasing acceptance of divorce and alternative lifestyles. There is also the dark flip side of that coin, which is that many marriages are based on unhealthy relationships that only get worse with age and in an era of enlightenment men and women are realizing they do not have to live that way anymore.
One of the benefits of divorcing later in life is that courts recognize the value of a long marriage, and a divorcing elderly man or woman is far more likely to get close to a 50/50 division of assets versus a shorter-term marriage or a marriage where there are still minor children living in the home. This does not mean, however, that you can afford to head to divorce court without a reasonable strategy for securing your future!
Hirsch Legal LLC specializes in handling the thorny problems of empty nester “silver splitters.” We offer the full gamut of divorce legal services, including mediation and other ADR options. Generally, a satisfactory settlement is better for clients particularly of this age group than litigating all issues to trial. Our principal attorney, Carmina Hirsch, understands how difficult it can be to end a marriage after decades together and she will work with compassion to help you achieve a settlement that is fair and reasonable.
If you are a resident of New Haven or Fairfield County (Westport, Danbury, Bridgeport, Stamford) and need to file or defend a divorce suit, we look forward to working with you. Don’t wait, call today!