Divorcing in Later Life

Alison Fielden & Co October 2019 Article

The Office for National Statistics has revealed that people aged between 45 to 74 are the individuals experiencing the most solitary life in terms of living arrangements.

One of the reasons for this is anticipated to be due to an increase in the number of divorces amongst the older generation.

The number of divorcing couples over the age of 55 has doubled this year. Some of the reasons why couples may choose to divorce later in life are felt to be due to the following:

• Divorce does not carry the same stigma it once did.
• As we experience longer life expectancies, some people question why they should have to spend the remaining twenty or thirty years of their lives in an unhappy marriage.
• Divorcing later in life means that, to an extent, the children in the relationship can be shielded from the effects of family breakdown as they will inevitably be older and may have flown the nest. Couples therefore no longer feel the pressure to “stay together for the sake of the kids” and
• Women in particular have become more financially independent so that they may feel more able to “go it alone” as they are no longer reliant on their spouse for financial support.

That being said, whilst Solicitors are seeing more divorcing couples from older generations, in turn they are also seeing an increase in the number of older couples wishing to remarry who often come for advice in connection with obtaining a Pre-Nuptial Agreement. This is an interesting concept and one which perhaps indicates that older couples may have been deterred from remarrying in order to protect their wealth and the inheritance of their children. Many people remarrying wish to have some financial security which can often be found through the means of a Pre-Nuptial Agreement.

For advice about family law matters please contact Steven Barratt or Heather Weavill at Alison Fielden & Co. We also operate free Saturday Surgery appointments on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays of each month. For further details please ring on 01285 653261.