Why older people are divorcing more than they used to
Experts have a few theories.
From The Times
July 5, 2026

Divorce rates have been dropping across age groups in recent years, but the exception is among Americans ages 65 and up who are increasingly unwilling to stay in “empty shell marriages,” or relationships in which there is no real connection or vitality.

An illustration of an elderly couple walking away from one another. Each carries one half of a large wedding cake with a small figurine of themselves atop it.

Eleni Kalorkoti

The reasons for the rise in gray divorce rates are complicated.

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