Gray divorces are on the rise, although the overall divorce rate is declining in the United States. Lack of commitment is the primary reason that couples say they divorced. Infidelity is the second-leading reason. Taking a look at the divorce trends may help you address potential issues before they have a chance to damage your Florida marriage.
Changing attitudes
One of the reasons for the gray divorce trend is older people are changing their perspective on divorce. They see it as more acceptable than they did in the past. From 1994 to 2012, a study in the Journal of Family Issues found that people over the age of 50 started to become more supportive of divorce. In line with this trend, the gray divorce rate nearly doubled from 1990 to 2015.
People who are over the age of 50 are beginning to see happiness in marriage as more important. Thus, an increasing number of unhappy couples are divorcing. Marital happiness affects your life expectancy. A happy marriage increases your life expectancy whereas an unhappy marriage decreases it.
Divorced friends
Having divorced friends increases your risk of divorcing by 75%. Even two degrees of separation causes a higher risk of divorce but by a lower number of 33%, which is still a significant increase of likelihood. These statistics suggest that there’s a social aspect to the divorce trend. You might want to only discuss your relationship with your spouse to help protect yourself from the influence of others. Your friends and family probably have good intentions, but remember that they aren’t relationship psychologists either. It’s probably better to seek professional help if you are struggling to resolve an issue with your spouse.
Although the overall divorce rate is down in the U.S., the number of divorces among people who are older has increased. This is largely due to more people in that demographic changing their perception on divorce and the importance of marital happiness.