The latest figures provided by the Office of National Statistics show that the overall divorce rates are falling, but that is not the case for one particular demographic. The over-50s, dubbed the “silver separators”, are bucking the trend with an increase in the number of divorces in that age group. Interestingly, as long ago as September 2013, we wrote a blog about this very subject and the latest figures show that the trend is continuing.
With grown-up children having left home and retirement looming, “empty nest syndrome” can lead to people realising that they simply no longer enjoy spending time with their spouse. Without the distractions of work and children, it can become apparent that they no longer have any shared interests and want different things in life. Increased life expectancy means that many people are now enjoying 20-30 years of retirement and are putting their own needs first rather than remaining in unhappy marriages. There is far less of a stigma surrounding divorce and this may encourage people who were previously reluctant to do so to take the plunge and move on with their lives. Media reports also suggest that the rise in the silver divorce may be because women are becoming increasingly financially independent, with their own income and pensions.