AARP Divorce Study Provides Interesting Look at Divorce Rate for Ages 40-79
A national AARP study has found that the divorce rate for people between the ages of 40 and 79 years old is on the rise, a phenomenon which has been dubbed “gray divorce.” A Daily Southtown story provide an interesting look at the AARP’s “The Divorce Experience: A Study of Divorce at Midlife and Beyond.” The study found that more women, approximately 66% of them, initiated the divorce after being wed for years, including some marriages which lasted more than 20 years. While some women cited emotional and physical abuse as reasons to get a divorce, others said that they waited to do so in order to keep the family intact for their children.
The study detailed that other women claimed unfaithfulness, falling out of love or having trouble adjusting to the empty-nest life as reasons behind seeking a divorce. The story explained a situation known as “Walk-Away Wife Syndrome,” in which women decide to divorce because they don’t feel their husbands are dedicated or responsive to fixing problems in their relationship. The story said that most of these women live silently until announcing that they want a divorce, which sometimes surprises their husbands. The study said that 26 percent of men said they never saw the divorce coming. The study also claimed that its findings refute the misconception that older men leave their wives for younger women.
The AARP study also revealed some other interesting statistics about life after divorce:
• 80 percent of respondents said they had a somewhat or very positive outlook of their present life.
• 75 percent of women and 81 percent of men in their 50s said they enjoyed a serious and exclusive relationship after divorce, often within two years.
• 70 percent of those people who sought the divorce reported confidence in their decision, while 45 percent of divorcees admitted that their biggest fear was being alone.
• 58 percent of men and 37 percent of women said they postponed divorce for five years or more for the sake of staying together for their children.
February 8th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I just found out about the walk away wife syndrome. This fits my wife exactly. We are both in our early thirties with 2 kids. I honestly didn’t realize she wanted a divorce at all. She has moved out and is living between one of her friends and her mothers house. We have been married for over 11 years. She tells me she really thinks we are through. I am trying to give her time to herself. What advise does anybody have for me? What are the chances that she will come home again?
June 9th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
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