Alternatives To Gray Divorce

The gray divorce rate in America continues to rise, with adults over the age of 50 choosing to separate from their longtime spouses. What are some alternatives to gray divorce in Arizona?

Gray Divorce Is On The Rise

Emerging trends have recognized that Americans aged 50+ and older are getting divorced at a higher rate than younger people. This trend, coupled with increasing life expectancy, is leading to more emphasis being placed on the employment of dependent spouses to contribute to their income stream after a divorce.

People 50 and older comprised 25% of all Americans who got divorced in 2014, up from 8% in 1990, according to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. Those who quit their marriage late in life can substantially reduce their standard of living and sacrifice their retirement security due to a number of factors.

It’s a lot more expensive to live in separate households, and when retirement savings must be divided. Both spouses’ income sources need to be maximized before and after retirement when a divorce occurs.

Gray Divorce Alternatives

The most common alternative to gray divorce in Arizona is legal separation. Let’s take a deeper look at legal separation, and some other options for aging married couples.

Legal Separation

Legal separation may be suited for some people over a divorce for several reasons. Most spouses who do not want to divorce due to religious reasons or personal convictions can still undergo legal separation to judicially extricate oneself from a spouse. Spouses that want to live apart but without getting a divorce can obtain a legal separation.

Some people prefer to legally separate rather than divorce in order to keep valuable health insurance benefits of a group plan. As mentioned above, legally separated spouses are still considered married, and thus can benefit from continued spousal health insurance coverage.

Similarly, those who have been married for less than 10 years can continue to receive social security benefits on their spouse’s federal benefits following a legal separation, unlike with a divorce in which such benefits are completely terminated for the lower earning spouse.

Other Alternatives To Gray Divorce

There are a few other alternatives to ending a long-term marriage than just a divorce or legal separation. Disagreements and/or lack of a romantic connection don’t have to end the marriage.

Here are a few other options older couples should consider:

• Trial separation.
• Marriage counseling to rebuild the connection.
• Choose to continue the marriage platonically.

Instead of going straight to divorce court or trying a legal separation, some aging couples opt for a trial separation. This could be a limited trial or result in a long-term separation if both spouses are content. This way, there will be no involvement of the legal system so the spouses retain their legal obligations to each other without the stress of living together.