The divorce rate is on the rise for people who are 50 and older, and for people in Kentucky and throughout the country, there could be a number of reasons for it. Many of the couples in this age group are baby boomers. The size of this generation is one reason for the increase. People are also living longer, and this means that they may be less likely to remain in marriages where they are unhappy even if they are older.
There is a perception that the baby boomer generation is one that took marriage less seriously, but an examination of people’s reasons for divorcing show that this is not the case. In fact, many people in this age group see marriage as a partnership and get a divorce when they feel the other person is no longer fulfilling its terms.
For example, infidelity was the reason one couple divorced. In another case, a woman said she grew tired of her husband’s constant emotional and verbal abuse. One man said his wife had spending problems and kept maxing out the couple’s credit cards. Another carried long-term resentment over differences he and his wife had about raising their children. In all these cases, people felt their spouse had disregarded the terms of the partnership.
The reasons for divorce might also affect the process of dividing property and of deciding on child custody if there are minor children. For example, if there has been emotional and verbal abuse, it might be more difficult for a couple to negotiate an agreement, and they might need to go to litigation.