Divorce over 50 is becoming an increasingly popular trend. “Gray divorce”, as many are now calling it, is strongly linked to retirement and perhaps the discontent that comes with it. Being around your spouse 24/7 might not be as appealing as you might think once you begin to live the reality.
“Some couples might find they don’t have quite as much in common as they once thought,” Rob Pascal and Dr. Louis H. Primavera write in their book, “The Retirement Maze: What You Should Know Before and After You Retire”. People grow apart, and this can be ignored or go unnoticed while both or one spouse is working full time. But once retirement arrives, it can become glaringly obvious that perhaps the couple is no longer as compatible as they once were.
How do relationships change when a spouse retires?
Retirement is a big event in every person’s life, because it often results in a completely different life and routine. It can change you as a person, and therefore it will undoubtedly change you as a couple, too. Both of you may have very different expectations of how you would like to live.
Social over-dependency
Social over-dependency also has a big part to play. We are always dependent to some extent on our partners. Women have a tendency, however, to also have strong connections with family and friends, whereas men tend to rely on their wives to set up social activities for them. This can result in tension in the marriage.
Sometimes, “gray divorce” might be a good option for both spouses. It can allow you to grow individually, and enjoy this new period of your life.
Source: Findlaw, “How Retirement Can Hurt Your Marriage (And What You Can Do About It),” accessed Aug. 14, 2017
