Many people in Michigan may have been hearing a lot about gray divorce in the past few years. This term refers to a divorce involving spouses who are at least 50 years of age or older. These divorces have actually been on the rise compared to a couple of decades ago.
Some believe that the fact many of the spouses involved in gray divorces had been married and divorced previously was a major contributor to this reality as second marriages statistically have a higher rate of failure than do first marriages. The challenges inherent in blending children and even grandchildren from previous families can add to what is already a major life change in getting married.
Fox News recently reported that the millennial generation, in part due to the relatively young ages of its cohorts, has far fewer remarriages on record. This fact is believed to be one of the reasons that millennials have been found to have a lower rate of divorce than people in generations older than them. A researcher at the University of Maryland found that a person 35 years of age in 2008 was less likely to have been married for four or five years by that time in their life compared to a person of the same age in 2018.
The professor’s work also uncovered a general drop in the divorce rate between 2008 and 2016 by 18 percent. The research was conducted leveraging data from the United States Census Bureau. While a reduction in divorce may be positive, the challenges inherent in a divorce remain when it happens. For this reason, divorcing spouses in Michigan may want to consult with an attorney for assistance during this process.