Finding the person who you believed was the love of your life was likely an exciting time for you. You felt like you had a lot in common, learned about each other, got married, had children and lived together for decades. Now, that spark may have waned, and you wonder whether you should move forward in a different direction in life.
If you are having these feelings, you are not alone. Divorce among older individuals in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, particularly those 50 and older, is becoming much more common. Typically, these parties still have a considerable number of years to live, and they want to do so in as happy a manner as possible. Gray divorce may be an option you are considering, and you may want information that could help support your decision.
Does animosity fuel gray divorce?
In some cases, couples choose to end their marriage because they no longer get along, argue constantly or have faced some type of betrayal in their relationship. However, this is not the case in every divorce, and it does not always apply to gray divorce cases either. You and your spouse may have always had a great deal of respect for one another, but the desire to remain married may have simple gone away.
Some common reasons older individuals choose to end their marriages include:
- The relationship has become stale.
- The couple no longer feels like they have the strong connection to one another as they once did.
- More individuals are feeling less obligated to uphold the tradition of lifelong marriage.
- Some parties want to turn over a new leaf and make major changes in their lives, and their spouse may not support those changes or does not want to make those changes him or herself.
- Some parties may want to experience the excitement of a new relationship again.
The reasons could go on and on, and as this list shows, those reasons do not have to always revolve around anger or contention between the couple. They may have simply found themselves wanting different things out of life as they get closer to their retirement years.
Is gray divorce more difficult?
Ending your marriage later in life could present more challenges than those younger couples might face. You and your spouse have likely amassed various assets that would need to be divided during your property division proceedings, and you may have greater concerns about your retirement funds. However, you have legal options for working toward the best outcome possible.
