As baby boomers reach retirement-age, there is an accompanying
high divorce rate. In fact, this phenomenon has been named ‘gray
divorce,’ characterized by couples divorcing over the age of 50.
The increased divorce rate in seniors is based on a number of
factors. Baby boomers have always had a higher divorce rate that
previous generations. In fact, baby boomers, the generation born
between 1946 and 1964 experienced a triple divorce rate over
their parents generation. The population as a whole has
experienced a drop in the divorce rate lately. Today, the
divorce rate is 3.5 per 1,000 people versus the peak of 5.3 in
1981. The divorce rate of seniors has doubled in the last twenty
years. Today, persons who divorced over 50 increased to 25
percent, versus only 8 percent in 1990. The U.S. Census reports
that couples who reach their 20th anniversary has decreased by
20% for couples married between 1955 and 1984. A longer life
span may contribute to the high divorce rate of seniors. When
Social Security was establi