The rise of gray divorce, and why so many Boomers are splitting up late in life

Americans age 50 and older are getting divorced more than ever, with almost half of all broken marriages in recent years coming from aging Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.Nearly 40% of all divorces nationwide are among couples 50 years and older — separations known as “gray divorces.” The alarming rate has held steady since the pandemic, but followed about four decades of increases.Gray divorces doubled between 1990 and 2010, until they comprised about one in four of all divorces nationally, and then climbed to today’s four in 10 rate, according to the New York Times.And though divorce has been dropping in most age groups across America, it has not among people 50 years and older.Experts have given a variety of explanations for this phenomenon — including longer lifespans, people marrying older, “empty nester” syndrome, and even wives being less tolerant of insensitive spouses after menopause.But, Michael Stutman — a top New York City divorce lawyer — thinks a “popular culture” shift around modern marriage expectations, coupled with staring down the barrel of mortality, could be playing a part.“The thing about people who are over 50 is that they’re getting cognizant that the fuel gauge is starting to go down to empty,” Stutman told The Post.

“And there’s one thing money can’t buy, which is time.”“People finally realize that if they’re starting to drain the second half of the tank, if they have bucket list items or a wish list or whatever, they don’t want to spend the limited time that they may have left investing in something that they feel will not give them an appropriate rate of return,” he added.Stutman felt the 40% rate felt higher than what he’s personally seen, but acknowledged that “the trend line for our practice, of seeing the age of our clients increasing, is definitely a thing.”One woman, 58-year-old Ruchi, said she decided to leave her husband after he completely forgot her 50th birthday.“You’ve put all ...