“Gray Divorce”: What is It and Why is It So Popular Now?

Let’s face it: “gray divorce” is trending. Whether the term has been seen on a viral news post or in a full-fledged newspaper article, the truth is that gray divorce is something that many people in Chicago are interested in and want to know more about. Perhaps one of the reasons that the topic of gray divorce is trending right now in Chicago and throughout the rest of the country is that gray divorces are more popular right now than they ever have been before. In fact, while most married couples get divorced around the 14-year mark in the United States, the number of gray divorces has doubled since the 1990s. But what exactly is a gray divorce and why are gray divorces occurring at such a high rate these days?

Gray Divorce: The End of a Marriage when the Kids Leave the Nest

“Gray divorce” refers to a divorce by a couple over 50 years old. Often in gray divorces, the children of the divorcing couple have already grown up and left the nest. In a gray divorce, a divorcing couple may have been together for a very long time – often 20 years or more—which can heighten the complexity of divorce proceedings when it comes to things like property division and spousal maintenance or alimony. Accordingly, for those interested in initiating a gray divorce, or who are facing a gray divorce in Chicago, it is important to speak with an experienced Chicago divorce lawyer to protect their rights and interests.

Uptick in Gray Divorces Explained?

While there are no “typical” cases when it comes to divorces and virtually every couple’s reasoning for ending a marriage is unique, the rapid increase in gray divorces in the United States may be the result of one factor in particular: the end of child-rearing in the home. As the number of overall divorces decreases in the United States, the number of gray divorces increases. This could be a result of couples making more strategic and conscious decisions about when to get a divorce, often waiting to separate and divorce when all of the children in the family have left the home. As licensed family marriage and therapist Alisa Ruby Bash explained to Yahoo! Life News, “People feel they have done the job that they intended to, which is provide a stable household for their children while they grow up.” Bash went on to say that as “empty nest” syndrome sets in, parents often reevaluate their lives and “it’s like pushing the reset button…that fresh start can mean they want to live the rest of their days in a very different way than they had while raising children.”

Help with Your Chicago Divorce

If you are interested in speaking with an experienced Chicago divorce lawyer about your Chicago divorce case, the experienced Chicago divorce lawyers at the law firm Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC are here to help. The experienced Chicago divorce lawyers at Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC offer a confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help represent you in your Chicago divorce. Contact Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC and speak to a Chicago divorce lawyer about your rights and options today.

Source:

yahoo.com/lifestyle/why-some-parents-wait-until-their-kids-graduate-high-school-to-divorce-135653824.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN1cMx7f-RaZvuu4nMZG_F_gL2TPUyXR5uKqFcq4iq3GG5k1ZVs8hb0g2juqUkhRmfJto9X-uOwVa1BkCXzaqv2fgBZJtxGJAye0PHY5g4EvOzRr_S7o1V_Iy7ubOnOXp6nlP66JKZm83Ne3R3CYahj6uLRJYyRl1Tl90UTzqjbH