Washington D.C., Mar 10, 2017 / 14:05 pm
The divorce rate has doubled for Americans over age 50, and tripled among Americans over 65, a new survey shows.
"At a time when divorce is becoming less common for younger adults, so-called 'gray divorce' is on the rise," the Pew Research Center said.
In 2015, the divorce rate among married persons over 50 was 10 in 1,000, an increase from 5 in 1,000 in 1990. Among those 65 and older, the divorce rate has tripled to 6 per 1,000.
Pew said the divorced rate among those 50 and older is partly linked to the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, the age cohort 51-69 in 2015. As young adults, this generation had unprecedented levels of divorce. Remarriages tend to be less stable than first marriages, with the divorced-and-remarried having twice the divorce rate as those married once. Among the divorces of adults age 50 and older, 48 percent were in a second or later marriage.