The BBC news website recently reported that despite divorce rates falling among the UK population as a whole, the over 60s actually saw an increase. Does this mean the end of ‘till death us do part’?
On the face of it, it certainly looks that way. It used to be the case that people over 60 were either lacked the energy to go through a divorce or it was too expensive to consider, however now that people are living longer healthier lives, many are considering later life without their husband or wife.
According to the ONS, the rising divorce trend in the over 60s has been happening since the 1990s, which indicates a clear trend towards it being more acceptable to divorce for this section of the population. It may also be easier for financially independent women to contemplate divorce than it has been in the past.
The number of married men over 60 divorcing in 1991 was 1.6 per 1,000 and this had nearly doubled to 2.3 by 2011. The figure for women was still comparatively lower at 1.6 per 1,000 in 2011, rising from 1.2 per 1,000 in 1991.
The overall number of divorces in the UK peaked in 1993 at 165,000, yet since then the number of divorces has fallen steadily. In 2011, there were a total of 118,000 divorces, of which 9,500 involved men aged 60 plus.