Divorce among the graying love generation is up, up and away.
The Pew Research Center said that divorce for those 50 and older, the Baby Boom generation that has long been beset by marital troubles, has doubled, especially among those in short marriages.
And the surge is even worse for those 65 and older, where the rate has tripled.
“In 2015, for every 1,000 married persons ages 50 and older, 10 divorced – up from five in 1990, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau. Among those ages 65 and older, the divorce rate has roughly tripled since 1990, reaching six people per 1,000 married persons in 2015,” said Pew.
Still, said Pew, those numbers are low compared to the generation behind the Boomers. Among those 40-49, divorce is twice as high, 21 per 1,000. Count among them the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter and his estranged wife Kathleen.
But the youngest of married couples seem quite happy, with divorce among the 25-39 set down 21 percent. Credit later marriages and more educated couples, said Pew.
“In 2015, 21 adults ages 40 to 49 divorced per 1,000 married persons in that age range – up slightly from 18 in 1990. By contrast, the divorce rate for adults ages 25 to 39 has fallen from 30 persons per 1,000 married persons in 1990 to 24 in 2015. This decline is attributed at least in part to younger generations putting off marriage until later ages. The median age at first marriage for men in 2016 was 29.5, and for women it was 27.4 – up from 26.1 and 23.9, respectively, in 1990. In addition, those who do end up marrying are more likely to be college-educated, and research shows that college-educated adults have a lower rate of divorce,” said the analysis.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
