National Public Radio had an interesting story last week claiming that the divorce rate for Americans over 50 doubled between 1990 and 2010. 
The story focused on baby boomers, saying that the divorce rate for individuals born immediately after post-World War II is setting records. NPR reported that Americans over 50 are now twice as likely to get a divorce as people of the same age merely 20 years ago.
One man, Jim Campbell, 55, of Boulder, Colorado told NPR that he just grew apart from his wife during his 34-year relationship.
“The No. 1 best thing in common that my ex-wife and I had was raising kids,” Campbell told NPR, saying when the couple’s sons grew up, “[W]e just didn’t have enough activities, passions, interests that were in common. And when the boys were gone, that just became more and more — to me — obvious.”
Susan Brown, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University, told NPR that baby boomer’s are more self-aware than older Americans living 20 years ago. “When you retire and you no longer have any children at home and you’re spending 24/7 with your spouse, if this is someone that you’re not too fond of anymore, you might want to get divorced,” Brown told NPR. “[B]ecause you realize, hey, I could spend another 20, 25 years with this person.”
Do I Need a Bergen County Divorce Attorney?
It is not surprising that older Americans are divorcing at higher rates. It should be noted that as amicable as a breakup can be, even if an older couple does not have issues like child custody, they may still have to hash out issues involving the division of marital assets and alimony.
Our lawyers have almost four decades of experience handling divorce cases—let our firm arrange your initial consultation. Our family law offices in New York or New Jersey can be reached by email, our online contact form or at (800) 711-5258.
Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C. – Bergen County Divorce Attorneys
KGG’s Corner: The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/02/24/282105022/older-americans-breakups-are-causing-a-graying-divorce-trend
