People who haven’t been following trends in marriage and divorce may be shocked to discover that senior citizens currently have the highest divorce rates when compared to any other generation. Often, these men and women contact a Divorce Lawyer in Sumner WA to end a marriage that has lasted for decades. Psychologists have taken a strong interest in this trend, wanting to know why older people increasingly decide to end their marriages. They refer to this trend as gray divorce.
Common Reasons for Gray Divorce
In many instances, the marriage has been troubled for a long time. The two may have stayed together because they didn’t want to upset their young children. Later, when those children became adults, the parents still didn’t want to rock the boat of the family structure. The longer they stayed together, the more difficult it became to consider splitting up.
Sometimes, a particular event occurs that leads one spouse to seek a Divorce Lawyer in Sumner WA. For example, the spouse might have had a serious health scare that turned out to be nothing, but the episode made it clear that life can end at any time. This individual doesn’t want to waste any more time being unhappy. Sometimes, one spouse makes a life-changing decision that the other simply cannot handle in addition to all the other problems. A major change in religion, for instance, can be very disruptive and may feel like the last straw.
Life Expectancy Considerations
In the 21st Century, a person who is 60 or even 70 years old knows that he or she likely has many good years ahead. For example, statistics show that a healthy 70-year man in 2018 can expect to live to age 85. The idea of spending those 15 years in an unhappy marriage may feel like too much to accept.
Financial Complications
Ending a marriage at this age even with legal representation by an attorney such as Kevin G. Byrd can be complicated financially. There are implications for Social Security retirement benefits, shared real estate, retirement accounts, shared debt, and many other factors. Each spouse will need his or her own lawyer to prevent any conflicts of interest.
