Navigating Gray Divorce: Understanding Life's Unexpected Turn After 50
By Jessica Anne Pressler LCSW
When you stood at the altar decades ago, you never imagined it would end this way. You pictured growing old together, watching grandchildren play in the yard, traveling during retirement, making decisions as a team. Yet here you are, facing a divorce after 50—what experts call a “Gray Divorce”—and the future you carefully planned looks completely different now.
If you're experiencing this, please know that you are not alone. And what you're feeling—all of it—is valid.
What is Gray Divorce?
The term "Gray Divorce" was coined by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in 2004 to describe divorces involving individuals 50 years or older. Researchers Susan L. Brown and I-Fen Lin at Bowling Green State University further developed our understanding of this phenomenon through their groundbreaking research. The name itself comes from the gray hair commonly associated with this stage of life—though the reality of Gray Divorce goes far deeper than its name suggests.
The Numbers Tell a Powerful Story
Currently, about 36% to nearly 40% of all divorces in the United States involve people aged 50 or older. Let that sink in for a moment. If you're going through this, more than one in three people getting divorced are in your shoes.
The divorce rate for people over 50 has doubled since 1990, and for those 65 and older, it has tripled. In 1990, only about 9% of divorces occurred among adults 50 and older. By 2019, that number jumped to 36%. While overall divorce rates have actually declined in recent decades, Gray Divorce is the only category that continues to rise.
What does this mean? It means the landscape of marriage and aging has fundamentally shifted. More than half of Gray Divorces involve couples in their first marriages, including many who have been married more than 20 years. Many have invested decades.
Why Gray Divorce Happens: Understanding the Contributing Factors
Before we explore the challenges of Gray Divorce, it's important to understand why this phenomenon has become so prevalent. The reasons couples separate after decades together are complex and deeply personal, but certain patterns have emerged that help explain this significant shift in how we approach marriage and aging.
Life-Changing Stages and Growing Apart
Perhaps the most common catalyst for Gray Divorce is the realization that you and your spouse have simply grown apart. After years—sometimes decades—focused on raising children, building careers, and managing the daily responsibilities of life, you look at each other one day and realize: we're no longer the same people we were when we married.
The empty nest can be particularly revealing. When the children leave home, many couples find themselves alone together, perhaps for the first time in 20 or 30 years, and discover they no longer have much in common beyond their roles as parents. The foundation that once held the marriage together—shared focus on the children, coordinating schedules, attending school events and activities—has shifted beneath your feet.
Life goals and values may no longer align. Maybe one person dreams of traveling the world while the other wants to stay close to home near grandchildren. Perhaps one partner has developed new interests, beliefs, or priorities that the other doesn't share or understand. You've both evolved, but not necessarily in the same direction. And that's not anyone's fault—it's simply what can happen over the course of a long life.
Increased Financial Independence and Autonomy
One significant factor contributing to the rise in Gray Divorce is that women today have far more financial independence than previous generations. In earlier decades, many women stayed in unhappy or unfulfilling marriages simply because they couldn't afford to leave. They may have spent years out of the workforce raising children, making divorce financially impossible or catastrophically risky.
Today's reality is different. More women have maintained careers throughout their marriages or have professional skills and experience they can draw upon. Social Security, retirement accounts in their own names, and greater earning potential have made divorce a viable option where it once wasn't. This doesn't mean divorce is easy or without significant financial consequences—it absolutely has them—but the choice to leave an unhappy marriage is no longer solely dependent on economic survival.
This increased autonomy extends beyond just finances. Women (and men) of this generation are more likely to prioritize their own happiness and well-being, recognizing that they deserve fulfillment even late in life. The ability to support oneself financially gives people the freedom to ask the difficult question: "Do I want to spend the rest of my life in this marriage?"
Longevity: The Gift of More Years—and the Weight of That Reality
People are living longer than ever before. The average life expectancy has increased by nearly a decade compared to the 1960s. This is wonderful news in many ways, but it also changes the calculus of staying in an unhappy marriage.
If you're 55 or 60 and unhappy in your marriage, you're not just looking at another few years—you may be looking at 20, 30, or even 40 more years. That's a long time to spend with someone when the connection has faded, when there's no intimacy, when you feel more like roommates than partners.
This extended life expectancy makes people ask themselves: "Is this how I want to spend the time I have left?" When faced with the prospect of decades ahead, some people decide they want—and deserve—to pursue happiness, companionship, or even just peace, even if that means ending a long marriage. The thought of living out the rest of your life in a relationship that no longer brings joy or fulfillment can feel unbearable when you realize just how many years that might be.
Cultural Shifts: The Changing Landscape of Marriage and Divorce
The cultural stigma around divorce has dramatically decreased, particularly for the Baby Boomer generation. Unlike their parents' generation, where divorce was often seen as a failure or a source of shame, today's older adults have lived through decades of changing social norms. Divorce is no longer scandalous—it's simply a life event that many people experience.
Society now places greater emphasis on personal fulfillment and happiness. The idea that you should stay in an unhappy marriage "for better or worse" regardless of your own well-being has given way to a more nuanced understanding that sometimes ending a marriage is the healthiest choice for everyone involved. There's greater acceptance of the idea that life is short, happiness matters, and people deserve to make choices that serve their well-being.
This cultural shift has given people permission to acknowledge when a marriage isn't working and to take steps to change their situation. It's no longer assumed that you must stay together until death, especially when there's no abuse, no villain, just two people who have grown apart or who no longer make each other happy.
The Slow Erosion: Communication Breakdown and Lost Intimacy
Many Gray Divorces don't happen because of one dramatic incident. Instead, they're the culmination of years—sometimes decades—of communication breakdown and lost intimacy. Perhaps you and your spouse stopped really talking to each other years ago. Conversations became transactional: coordinating schedules, discussing bills, managing household tasks. The deeper emotional connection faded so gradually that you didn't notice it was gone until one day you realized you were living parallel lives under the same roof.
Intimacy—both emotional and physical—may have disappeared years ago. Maybe it was slow, a gradual drifting that neither of you addressed. Maybe it was something you told yourself you'd work on "later," but later never came. Or maybe you tried to address it, but the patterns were too ingrained, the hurt too deep, the distance too vast to bridge.
Living for years without meaningful communication or intimacy can leave you feeling profoundly lonely, even when you're not technically alone. You might look at your spouse and feel like you're living with a stranger. The person you once knew so intimately has become someone unfamiliar, and you've become a stranger to them as well.
Personal Struggles: Depression, Substance Abuse, and Infidelity
Sometimes Gray Divorce is precipitated by specific personal issues that have strained or broken the marriage. Depression—whether in yourself or your spouse—can fundamentally alter the dynamics of a relationship. Years of untreated or poorly managed mental health issues can drain the emotional resources of both partners.
Substance abuse may emerge or worsen as people navigate midlife challenges, retirement stress, or simply cope with unhappiness in the marriage. What might have been manageable or hidden earlier in the marriage may become impossible to ignore or sustain.
Infidelity, whether emotional or physical, can be the breaking point after years of struggling. Sometimes an affair is the symptom rather than the cause—a desperate attempt to find connection, validation, or escape from a marriage that has long since ceased to be fulfilling. Other times, it's a betrayal that shatters whatever trust or commitment remained.
These issues are painful to acknowledge and even harder to navigate, especially after decades together. They can make divorce feel both necessary and devastating at the same time.
The Consequences: What Happens When the Marriage Ends
Understanding why Gray Divorce happens is one thing; facing the consequences is another. The reality of divorce after 50 brings unique and often severe repercussions that younger divorcing couples may not face to the same degree.
The Financial Impact: Living on Significantly Less
The financial consequences of Gray Divorce can be severe and long-lasting. Assets that were built together over decades must now be divided. The family home, retirement accounts, pensions, investments, savings—everything gets split, often leaving both parties with roughly half of what they had as a couple.
But here's the harsh reality: maintaining two separate households costs far more than maintaining one. You're not splitting expenses in half—you're often nearly doubling them. Two mortgages or rents, two sets of utilities, two of everything. Meanwhile, your income hasn't doubled; in fact, for many people approaching or in retirement, income may be fixed or declining.
For women, the financial impact is particularly severe, with a 45% decline in their standard of living after divorce. For men, the decline is around 21%. Many people find themselves having to make difficult choices: downsizing to smaller, more affordable housing; delaying retirement; re-entering the workforce in their 60s or 70s; cutting back on expenses they once took for granted.
Retirement plans that once seemed solid may now seem impossible. Travel plans get scrapped. Financial security feels precarious. The comfortable retirement you envisioned—that you worked for decades to achieve—may slip out of reach. And with less time to rebuild financially than someone divorcing at 30 or 40, the pressure and fear can be overwhelming.
Impact on Family Dynamics: When Adult Children Are Caught in the Middle
One of the most painful surprises for many people going through Gray Divorce is discovering that adult children don't handle their parents' divorce as well as expected. Many divorcing parents assume that because their children are grown—with their own lives, careers, families—the divorce won't affect them much. This is rarely true.
Adult children often experience profound grief when their parents divorce. They're losing their family structure, their sense of home, their understanding of their parents' relationship and their own family history. The foundation they thought was permanent has cracked. They may question their own relationships, wondering what really lasts if their parents' decades-long marriage couldn't.
Some adult children become estranged from one or both parents, either because they feel forced to take sides or because they're so hurt and angry that they pull away. They may struggle with where to spend holidays, how to divide time between parents, and how to help their own children understand why Grandma and Grandpa don't live together anymore.
Your children have their own grieving to do—grieving the loss of their intact family, the loss of traditions, the loss of the future they imagined (watching their parents grow old together, having both grandparents at the same celebrations). Their pain is real, even if they're adults. And watching your children hurt, or feeling their distance or anger, adds another layer of grief to your own.
The Toll on Personal Well-Being and Relationships
The emotional and psychological toll of Gray Divorce can be severe. Depression, anxiety, feelings of failure, and profound loneliness are common. Your identity has been tied to this marriage for so long that losing it can feel like losing yourself.
If your relationship with your children becomes strained or temporarily severed, the pain is indescribable. Some people going through Gray Divorce find themselves cut off from their adult children, at least for a period, while everyone processes the divorce. This loss—on top of losing your spouse, your family structure, your financial security, and your vision for the future—can feel unbearable.
Social isolation is also a significant consequence. Friends may distance themselves, choosing sides or simply not knowing how to be around you anymore. Your social life may have been built around couple activities, and suddenly you don't fit in the same way. Making new friends at this age can feel daunting.
Health can suffer too. The stress of divorce affects physical health, sleep, appetite, and energy levels. At a time when you need all your strength to rebuild, you may find yourself depleted and exhausted.
The Unique Challenges That Emerge
Understanding why Gray Divorce happens and knowing its consequences doesn't make navigating it any easier. Beyond the broad impacts, Gray Divorce comes with its own constellation of challenges that can feel overwhelming, especially when you thought you had everything figured out.
The Identity Crisis
For decades, you've known who you are in relation to someone else. You were someone's wife or husband. Perhaps you built your identity around being a mother or father, and now your children are grown. When that partnership ends, you may find yourself asking: Who am I now?
This question can feel terrifying. You've spent so many years as part of a unit, making decisions together, presenting yourselves to the world as "we." Suddenly, you're "I" again—but you're not the same "I" you were when you first married. You've changed, grown, accumulated experiences and memories that are now bittersweet at best.
The loss of your identity as a married person, especially if you've been married for decades, is a real and profound grief. It's okay to mourn that. It's okay to feel unmoored.
Navigating Your Relationships with Adult Children
Beyond the initial shock and grief your adult children experience, the day-to-day reality of maintaining relationships with them through and after divorce presents ongoing challenges. You might find yourself walking on eggshells, unsure what to say or how much to share about your feelings or your new life.
Some children may pressure you to reconcile, unable to accept that the marriage is truly over. Others may become caretakers, worried about your well-being to the point where the parent-child dynamic reverses in uncomfortable ways. Still others may withdraw completely, unable to process their own feelings while also holding space for yours.
The guilt can be crushing. Even though your children are adults, even though you know you have a right to pursue your own happiness, seeing their pain and knowing you're the cause of it—even indirectly—weighs heavily. You might find yourself apologizing, explaining, justifying your decision over and over, or conversely, you might shut down and stop communicating altogether because it's too painful.
Rebuilding trust and connection with your adult children after a Gray Divorce takes time, patience, and often professional support. The relationship you once had will change and accepting that new reality while grieving the old one is part of the challenge.
The Cascade of Grief
What you're grieving isn't just one thing—it's everything.
You're grieving the person you thought you'd grow old with. You're grieving the future you planned: the retirement travels, the rocking chairs on the porch, the simplicity of sharing bills and household tasks. You're grieving the decades you dedicated to this person and this relationship, years you can't get back and that now carry a different meaning.
You're grieving your role. If you've been someone's wife or husband for 20, 30, or 40 years, that's not just a legal status—it's woven into every fiber of your identity. You might grieve being someone's mother or father in the traditional sense, even though your children are adults, because the family structure you created is irrevocably changed.
You're grieving the shared history. All those memories—the home you made together, the children you raised, the struggles you overcame, the milestones you celebrated—they don't disappear, but they take on a different tone. There's a bittersweet quality to everything now.
You're grieving the life you chose not to live because you chose this marriage instead. The career paths not taken, the places not lived, the versions of yourself that got put aside.
All of this grief is legitimate. All of it deserves to be acknowledged and felt.
The Emotional Weight of Financial Uncertainty
Beyond the raw numbers and statistics about financial decline, there's the daily, lived experience of financial stress that permeates everything after Gray Divorce. It's waking up at 3 AM worrying about money in a way you haven't since you were young. It's the shame of asking your adult children for help, or worse, having to say no when they need help from you. It's the anxiety of every unexpected expense—a car repair, a medical bill—that would have been manageable before but now feels catastrophic.
The psychological impact of going from financial security to financial uncertainty cannot be overstated. You may have spent decades building wealth, making smart decisions, sacrificing to save for retirement. Watching it divided and depleted feels like watching your life's work dissolve. The future you so carefully planned—the one you earned—may be out of reach now.
For many people, particularly women who may have been out of the workforce or in lower-paying positions, there's the very real fear: "Will I be able to survive? Will I end up a burden to my children? Will I lose my independence?" These aren't abstract worries—for many people going through Gray Divorce, they're pressing, immediate concerns.
Learning to manage finances alone when you've made joint decisions for decades can be overwhelming. If your spouse handled all the financial matters, you might be learning these skills for the first time in your 50s, 60s, or 70s, which can feel both infantilizing and terrifying. The learning curve is steep, and the stakes are high.
The Social Earthquake
Your social circle may shift in ways you didn't anticipate. Couple friends might not know how to act around you. Some may disappear entirely, uncomfortable with the change or feeling they need to "choose sides." Social invitations may dwindle because you're no longer part of a pair.
At the same time, you might find that being single at this age feels foreign. The social landscape has changed since you last navigated it alone. Dating, if you even want to consider it, operates completely differently than it did decades ago. But more immediately, you might simply feel like you don't know where you fit anymore.
Your community may have been built around your marriage—the church you attended as a couple, the neighborhood where you raised your children, the social organizations you joined together. Now, showing up alone can feel awkward or painful. You might feel like people are talking about you, pitying you, or judging you.
This social isolation can be profound, especially when combined with all the other losses you're experiencing.
Redefining Your Future
Perhaps the most disorienting aspect of Gray Divorce is that the future you envisioned simply doesn't exist anymore. You thought you knew what the next chapter would hold. You had plans—maybe you were going to downsize together, travel, spend time with grandchildren, pursue hobbies, enjoy the freedom of retirement.
Now, you're standing at a crossroads you never wanted to reach, and the path forward is unclear. You're making decisions you thought you'd never have to make alone. Where will you live? How will you spend your time? What does happiness look like for you—just you—at this stage of life?
There's a loneliness to this that goes beyond missing your partner. It's the loneliness of facing an uncertain future without the person you thought would be beside you. It's the loneliness of making every single decision—from what to eat for dinner to where to spend Thanksgiving to how to manage your healthcare—on your own.
And underneath it all might be fear. Fear that you've wasted precious years. Fear that it's too late to start over. Fear that you'll be alone for the rest of your life. Fear that you've made a terrible mistake—or fear that staying would have been the terrible mistake.
Finding Your Way Through
If you're in the midst of Gray Divorce, please hear this: What you're feeling is not weakness. The grief, the fear, the anger, the confusion, the regret, the relief—all of it can coexist, and all of it is part of the process.
This is one of the most significant transitions of your life. You're not just ending a marriage; you're reconstructing your entire sense of self and your vision for the future. That's enormous work, and it doesn't happen overnight.
Embracing the New Normal
The "new normal" after Gray Divorce doesn't arrive fully formed. It emerges gradually, through small moments and daily decisions. It might start with learning to manage finances on your own and discovering you're more capable than you thought. It might come through reconnecting with old friends or making new ones who accept you exactly as you are. It might appear in the quiet satisfaction of making a decision based solely on what you want, perhaps for the first time in decades.
Your new normal might include more solitude than you're used to—and you might be surprised to find that, sometimes, that solitude feels peaceful rather than lonely. It might include building new traditions with your children and grandchildren, different from the old ones but no less meaningful. It might include discovering parts of yourself that got lost or set aside during your marriage.
The new normal will have hard days. Days when you feel the loss acutely, when you wonder if you'll ever feel whole again, when the future seems bleak. But it will also have good days—days when you feel strong, days when you realize you're going to be okay, days when you catch a glimpse of who you're becoming.
You Are Not Starting From Zero
It's important to remember: You are not starting from nothing. You bring with you decades of experience, wisdom earned through years of living, skills you've honed, relationships you've built, and resilience you've demonstrated simply by surviving this far. You've navigated other difficult transitions in your life, even if none felt quite like this one.
You may have more to offer the world—and yourself—than you realize right now. This ending is painful, but it doesn't erase everything that came before. Your life had meaning before this divorce, and it will continue to have meaning after it.
Reaching Out for Support
Please don't try to do this alone. Reach out to a therapist who understands the unique challenges of Gray divorce. Connect with others who are going through or have been through this experience—their understanding can be invaluable. Lean on the people who show up for you, even if your support system looks different than you expected.
Consider working with financial advisors who specialize in divorce and retirement planning. Join support groups, either in person or online, where you can share your experience with others who truly understand. Give yourself permission to need help, to not have all the answers, to take things one day at a time.
A Gentle Truth
Gray divorce is hard. It disrupts everything you thought you knew about your life and your future. It brings losses that are profound and personal. It requires you to rebuild and redefine yourself at a time when you thought you'd have things figured out.
But you are not alone in this experience. Thousands of people are walking this path alongside you, navigating the same complicated feelings and challenges. And while the future may look nothing like you planned, it's still your future—and it can still hold meaning, purpose, connection, and even joy.
You've already survived the hardest part: you've begun. You're here, reading this, trying to understand and make sense of it all. That takes courage.
Be patient with yourself. Honor your grief. Acknowledge the complexity of what you're feeling. And when you're ready, take one small step forward into whatever comes next.
Your story isn't over. It's just taking a turn you didn't expect—and that's okay. You're going to find your way through this.
Resources for Support and Guidance
You don't have to navigate this journey alone. Here are valuable resources specifically designed to support people going through Gray Divorce. These resources were recommended to me by other people, and I did not personally vet the groups.
Support Groups and Communities
DivorceCare
Website: www.divorcecare.org
A nationwide support group network specifically addressing divorce recovery, including resources tailored for Gray Divorce. Offers faith-based support with local groups meeting in churches across the country.
Gray Divorce Support Group (Facebook)
A dedicated online community where people experiencing Gray Divorce can connect, share experiences, and find support from others who truly understand. Search "Gray Divorce Support Group" on Facebook to join.
Women Survivors of Gray Divorce Support Group
Website: www.meetup.com
Available through Meetup, this group provides a network of support specifically for women who have experienced divorce in their 50s, 60s, or 70s after long marriages. Meetings are held online to accommodate participants globally.
Midlife Divorce Recovery
Offers both women's and men's divorce recovery programs with community support forums and structured recovery resources. Provides access to divorce recovery guides and ongoing support.
Financial Guidance
Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA)
Website: www.institutedfa.com
Find a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) in your area. These professionals specialize in the complex financial aspects of divorce, including asset division, retirement planning, tax implications, and long-term financial planning. CDFAs are specifically trained to help people understand the financial implications of different settlement options.
National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)
Website: www.nfcc.org
Provides resources for rebuilding credit and managing finances post-divorce, including budget counseling and debt management support.
Therapy and Mental Health Support
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Website: www.aamft.org
Use their therapist locator to find marriage and family therapists who specialize in divorce and life transitions.
Talkspace
Website: www.talkspace.com
Offers online therapy covered by Medicare and many major insurance providers, making mental health support accessible and convenient. Many therapists on the platform specialize in Gray divorce issues.
Psychology Today Therapist Finder
Website: www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Search for therapists in your area who specialize in divorce, grief, life transitions, and issues specific to adults over 50.
Legal Resources
American Bar Association Family Law Section
Website: www.americanbar.org/groups/family_law
Provides resources about divorce law and can help you find qualified family law attorneys in your area.
Mediation Services
Consider looking for divorce mediators who specialize in Gray divorce. Mediation can often be a more cost-effective and less adversarial approach than litigation, particularly for couples who want to maintain dignity and respect through the process.
Books and Reading Materials
"Calling It Quits: Late-Life Divorce and Starting Over" by Deirdre Bair
A groundbreaking book featuring interviews with people who experienced Gray divorce, offering insights and validation.
"Divorce After 50: Your Guide to the Unique Legal and Financial Challenges" by Janice Green
Published by Nolo, this comprehensive guide addresses the specific legal and financial issues that arise in late-life divorce.
"A Grey Divorce Support Group: From Pain to Peace" by Susan L. Pollet
A helpful read that explores Gray divorce through the lens of a fictional support group, addressing the main issues and causes with empathy and insight.
Additional Online Resources
AARP Divorce Resources
Website: www.aarp.org
AARP offers articles, tools, and resources specifically for people over 50 navigating divorce, including financial planning tools and emotional support resources.
National Center for Family & Marriage Research
Website: www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr
Provides research and statistics on Gray divorce trends, helping you understand that you're part of a larger demographic shift.
Remember: Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness—it's a sign of strength and self-care. These resources are here to support you through this transition.
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The contents of this website; blog, video, articles, media, social media, book, and references, are ONLY for informational and entertainment purposes. It is NOT intended as a psychological service, diagnostic tool, medical treatment, personal advice, counseling, or determination of risk and should not be used as a substitute for treatment by psychological or medical services.
Please seek consultation by an appropriate healthcare provider.
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References
This blog post was informed by current research and statistics on Gray divorce from the following sources:
Brown, S. L., & Lin, I-F. (2012). "The Gray Divorce Revolution: Rising Divorce Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults." National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University.
Brown, S. L., & Lin, I-F. (2022). "The Graying of Divorce: A Half Century of Change." The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 77(9), 1743-1754.
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). (2004). "The Divorce Experience: A Study of Divorce at Midlife and Beyond." Washington, DC: AARP.
Pew Research Center. (2025). "8 Facts About Divorce, Marriage and Remarriage in the United States." Retrieved from www.pewresearch.org
Brown, S. L., & Loo, J. (2024). "Gray Divorce Rates and Trends Among Adults 65 and Older." Bowling Green State University National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
Lin, I-F., Brown, S. L., & Hammersmith, A. M. (2017). "Marital Biography, Social Security Receipt, and Poverty." Research on Aging, 39(1), 86-110.
Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts. (2024). "Financial Implications of Gray Divorce." Retrieved from www.institutedfa.com
Bair, D. (2007). Calling It Quits: Late-Life Divorce and Starting Over. New York: Random House.
American Bar Association. (2022). "The Highest Divorce Rate in History: Gray Divorce: Causes, Consequences, and Serving this Population." Dispute Resolution Magazine.
Fortune Magazine. (2024). "'Gray divorce' is skyrocketing among baby boomers. It can wreak havoc on their retirements."
Statistics Cited:
Approximately 36-40% of all divorces in the United States involve people aged 50 or older (as of 2024-2025)
The divorce rate for people over 50 has doubled since 1990
The divorce rate for people 65 and older has tripled since 1990
Women over 50 experience a 45% decline in standard of living post-divorce
Women aged 63+ who are divorced have a poverty rate of 27%
In 1990, only 8.7% of divorces occurred among adults 50 and older, compared to 36% in 2019
Note: The term "Gray divorce" was coined by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in 2004, with significant research contributions by sociologists Susan L. Brown, Ph.D., and I-Fen Lin, Ph.D., at Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
