Older couples more likely to divorce than in past decades

Baby boomer couples in California might be more likely to get a divorce than people in their age group were in 1990. According to the Pew Research Center, in 1990, five out of every 1,000 people at or older than 50 got a divorce. In 2015, that number was ten. However, despite the large increase since 1990, there has been little change since 2008. People who are at or older than 65 were three times more likely to divorce than couples that were the same age in 1990.

While the divorce rate for people younger than 50 still remains twice as high as it does for those at or over that age, overall, that divorce rate has gone down compared to previous years. Experts believe that this is because the median age of marriages is going up. The baby boomer generation has always had a high divorce rate, and that means that some of them are no longer in their first marriages. Since remarriages are more likely to end in divorce than first marriages, some of these later marriages have ended as well.

People who divorce later in life, and women in particular, may face greater financial instability than people who remain married or who are widowed. Older men may struggle with social connections after a divorce.

Many aspects of divorce might vary depending on the age of the couple. For example, older couples might be less likely to be concerned about custody and child support since their children may be grown, but they might be worried about their retirement. Individuals may want to discuss their financial situation with their attorney and how they might protect themselves. Since divorce is such a difficult time emotionally, people may not always make the best financial decisions, and an attorney may be able to advise them.