Divorce Rate Increases for Couples Over Age of 50

Both young and old couples are experiencing high rates of divorce. After researchers learned that the divorce rate for adults over the age of 50 has doubled, they decided to seek out reasons for this abrupt change. Between 1990 and 2009, couples over the age of 50 saw more than twice the rate of divorces than previously recorded. A group of sociologists at Bowling Green University looked at factors such as race, age, finances and education to determine just what might be causing this phenomenon. What they discovered was that the most important factor driving the high divorce rate was actually previous divorces.

The study, entitled "The Gray Divorce Revolution," reveals all of the trends that the sociologists discovered. One of those trends is that adults going through a second or third marriage in their fifties are 150 percent more likely to get divorced again. Getting divorced at an older age can make the process more difficult, researchers say, as both parties have more assets, children and properties to contend with during the divorce settlement process. If you are about to go through a divorce and want to protect yourself, your property and your rights, obtain the services of a family law attorney as soon as possible.