Grey Divorce

In the past when you’ve mentioned your anniversary, friends have congratulated you on the longevity of your marriage, but just because your union has lasted a long time does not necessarily mean that it has been happy or that you are still satisfied within its confines. What’s more, if you’re a senior citizen and you’ve found yourself thinking about divorce, you are far from alone.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, for every 1,000 married people who are 50 or older, 10 are divorced, and the Pew Research Center says that among those 65 and older, the divorce rate has tripled in the last thirty years.

Still, the fact that senior divorce has become more commonplace doesn’t mean that it is any easier. If you are facing a gray divorce — which is the term being used for divorce between senior citizens — there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

The most important thing for you to remember is that at your stage of life, you are well past many of the most emotional issues that couples confront when they are dissolving their marriage. Child support and custody are likely issues that do not need to be addressed, and therefore the most emotionally fraught topics will surround financial issues. As a result, and because Pennsylvania’s laws are fairly straightforward when it comes to equitable distribution, many seniors are taking a more collaborative approach to their divorce. There are many advantages to doing this, including lower costs, less waiting time or frustration with the bureaucratic red tape of going through the court system, and it is generally a lot easier on the family that the two of you have built over the years.

Agreeing to mediation or negotiation rather than the court system or an adversarial process generally allows both partners to achieve their individual goals and walk away in the best possible economic condition without the battle scars that are often left by divorces that become battlefields. The process costs significantly less, which preserves more assets for the couples to hold on to for themselves.

If you would like to speak to an attorney about the options available for a more collaborative, negotiated process, we are here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our compassionate approach to gray divorce.