CHICAGO: A rise in so-called “silver splitter” divorces will compound the pressure on the care system from the aging population, a report warns.
The number of people over 60 getting divorced will increase by more than 40 per cent in just over 30 years, according to the analysis.
The estimate, based on current separation rates and demographic projections, means that by 2037 over-60s will account for almost one in every ten people getting divorced.
The trend is attributed to a combination of rising employment, which leads to financial independence among women, and a tendency for people to marry later in life. This means that older people will be more exposed to the risk of divorce than in the past because their marriages are still relatively fresh.
But this will also compound the problems of loneliness and isolation, adding to pressure on care services, the report concludes…