Increasing divorce rates among older people

While many people in Wisconsin end up divorcing, the divorce rates for most age groups have been falling for years. Among those who are over 50, however, the rates have been instead steadily climbing.

According to researchers from Bowling Green State University, twice as many couples over the age of 50 divorced in 2014 than did those over that age in 1990. Other researchers have also found that more than 50 percent of people between the ages of 25 and 50 have considered getting divorced at some point. Most who have considered it decide to try to work it out, and many report they are happy they did.

Researchers believe older people may be increasingly seeking divorce for one of several reasons. They point out that many people in this age group are in their second marriages, which have been shown to be two and one-half times as likely to end in divorce as a first marriage. Another reason may be related to the increasing life span. Although people may not be in terrible marriages, they may decide to end their relationship rather than spending 20 or 30 more years in one that is no longer loving. Older people may also simply be better able to handle the expenses associated with divorcing than younger, less financially secure couples.

Property division can be highly contentious in a divorce. When a couple has been married for a long time, untangling their finances while also helping to preserve their ability to retire may be complicated. A senior citizen who is facing the end of a marriage may want to have the assistance of a family law attorney in negotiating a settlement agreement that addresses this matter as well as other divorce legal issues that may be applicable.