When many of us think of divorce in later life, we conjure up images of middle-aged women, with their children flying the nest, now fed up with the daily humdrum of their lives, leaving their husbands for a big adventure. It’s been incorporated into many a book and Hollywood film. But now, it looks like things are changing and it’s the men who want out.
A new study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been released, which reveals that an increasing number of middle-aged men are seeking to split from their other halves.
A report by think tank the International Longevity Centre (ILC), discovered that a number of people getting divorced who were over 60 years old, had increased by 85% in the 22 years between 1990 and 2012.
According to the figures, up until the age of 45, more women are divorcing than men. Beyond the age of 45, things change, with more men divorcing than women.
The ONS reportedly said: “In 2014, the number of divorces was highest among men aged 45 to 49 and women aged 40 to 44. This represents a change for men since between 2005 and 2013, divorces were highest among men aged 40 to 44.”
While more older men are divorcing, the average age for women to divorce has appeared to stay the same. In the over-60 age group, 5,783 women divorced, compared to 9,443 men.
This new research forces us to move away from the stereotypical view of more middle-aged women divorcing their husbands, in search of something better.
Dubbed the “silver splitters”, there are various theories as to why an increasing number of men of this age are now getting divorced.
Experts have suggested that one of the possible reasons for this change, may be that this is also the age when men’s earnings commonly peak, potentially making them more attractive to younger women.
Additionally, it is a time when children have left home.
The ILC warned that this increase in divorce for older people could result in more and more women facing financial difficulties. This is due to the fact that women are likely to have a smaller pension and are much more likely to be homemakers.
The report by the ILC went on to talk about the “continuing gender divide between men and women in terms of pay” and the low proportion of women saving for retirement.
For a while now, there has been an increase in the number of middle-aged males seeking advice about the divorce process from specialist divorce solicitors, experts in high net divorce and family breakdown. It’s now confirmed that this trend is happening nationwide.
Getting expert legal advice on your divorce is vital. Failure to do so can create more issues and problems which in result shall become more stressful and expensive in the long run.
