{"data":{"id":"16954726-1138-400c-9316-c72f1fb1040a","updated_at":"2024-04-05T17:49:21Z","template_id":"73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","localized":{"blocks":[{"id":"f8bdbe87-1368-4ca0-bf94-532a06c7b65c","kind":"richtext","template_id":null,"content_html":"

I’ve noticed a recent trend over the last few years – more baby boomers are getting divorced.

Nicknamed the Silver Separation or the Grey Divorce – whatever you call it it’s on the rise. Divorce rates for people over 50 has roughly doubled since the 1990’s and for those over 65 it has almost tripled.

There are many different reasons why this divorce over 50 is on the rise. Here are just a few that may be contributing to this situation;

We Are Living Longer

You’re probably very well aware that we’re expected to live longer lives. And not just five or ten years – we’re talking about twenty years. In North America, our life expectancy is now 79 for males and 81 for females. Back in 1930 – life expectancy was only 58 for men and 61 for women.

With all this additional time to live, it seems couples are now looking at the rest of their lives and questioning how they would like to spend this remaining time and whether they are with the person they really want to spend it with.

Women Are More Independent

The days of women being dependent on a man for financial support have declined over the years. By 1994, 54% of women with children under the age of 5 were working. This has resulted in many women now having increased freedom as to whether they want to remain in a marriage or not for other reasons beyond financial dependence.

Not Willing To Settle

You used to hear of many cases of where people would stay in unhappy marriages either for the sake of the children or because they just felt that they had to honour their commitment to their marriage. With divorce now being a much more common practice and happiness in life so often being the objective, more people are not willing to stay in unhappy relationships and are choosing to divorce rather than stay.

But along with this increase in divorce later in life, there are also some unique challenges that are associated with divorcing at an older age.

Financial Impact

When someone splits from their spouse, even if you get 50% of the assets you are not necessarily able to continue living the lifestyle you had as a couple. An article in the Globe and Mail estimated that a divorced individual would need 70% of their previous income to retain the same living standards as they previously had. If you were approaching retirement or are retired when you divorce, the ability to make up this income may be difficult.

Impact of Divorce on Adult Children

One of the nasty side effects of a divorce can be the damaged relationships it can cause. Not only could the damages include the other partner but also potentially the kids could be pulled into the situation.

It’s been found that even though the children involved may be adults, in a grey divorce there are still impacts to them. Loyalty conflicts, feeling of role reversal are just some examples of these potential impacts.

Loneliness

As much as someone may not enjoy another person’s company, they are around and do provide some company. It has been discovered that loneliness has been shown it can increase your risk of death by 14%. So after a divorce, if there isn’t a social network or a desire to create one this could pose a potential increased risk to a person.

Whatever way you look at it, divorce can be a complicated and challenging situation at any age.

Hopefully people are making choices that are right for them and their relationships and will in turn have a life filled with happiness – whatever that may be.

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Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.

Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.

An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!

","description_text":"Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!","summary_html":"

Founder, Booming Encore

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