Posted on Apr 26, 2012
While the divorce rate is falling in Washington and across the country, and while fewer young people are ending their marriage, the divorce rate for baby boomers is… booming. Currently, only one in three baby boomers are married – and a significant number of those who are married have experienced a divorce in the past.

Why are baby boomers susceptible to divorce, especially as they age? While divorce experts aren’t sure, they believe that a number of factors could be contributing to the phenomenon:
  • Many couples stay together until their children are no longer living with them, which means that many baby boomers who have been holding off on divorce are now separating.
  • Longer life spans and healthier senior years mean that larger numbers of older people have decades left to start a fresh chapter in their lives.
  • Better educated and more independent women have more of an opportunity to start new lives without worrying about financial issues or support issues.
  • More boomers believe that being divorced is a better option than living in an unhappy marriage – fewer people in younger generations agree.
  • Baby boomers are more financially secure and can handle a divorce better than couples with little or no net worth.
Molly B. Kenny
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Divorce and Child Custody Attorney Serving Bellevue and Seattle Washington