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Antecedents of Gray Divorce: A Life Course Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • I-Fen Lin
  • Susan L Brown
  • Matthew R Wright
  • Anna M Hammersmith

Abstract

Objectives Increasingly, older adults are experiencing divorce, yet little is known about the risk factors associated with divorce after age 50 (termed “gray divorce†). Guided by a life course perspective, our study examined whether key later life turning points are related to gray divorce.MethodWe used data from the 1998–2012 Health and Retirement Study to conduct a prospective, couple-level discrete-time event history analysis of the antecedents of gray divorce. Our models incorporated key turning points (empty nest, retirement, and poor health) as well as demographic characteristics and economic resources.ResultsContrary to our expectations, the onset of an empty nest, the wife’s or husband’s retirement, and the wife’s or husband’s chronic conditions were unrelated to the likelihood of gray divorce. Rather, factors traditionally associated with divorce among younger adults were also salient for older adults. Marital duration, marital quality, home ownership, and wealth were negatively related to the risk of gray divorce.DiscussionGray divorce is especially likely to occur among couples who are socially and economically disadvantaged, raising new questions about the consequences of gray divorce for individual health and well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • I-Fen Lin & Susan L Brown & Matthew R Wright & Anna M Hammersmith, 2018. "Antecedents of Gray Divorce: A Life Course Perspective," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(6), pages 1022-1031.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:73:y:2018:i:6:p:1022-1031.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbw164
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    Cited by:

    1. David J. G. Slusky & Donna K. Ginther, 2021. "Did Medicaid expansion reduce medical divorce?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1139-1174, December.
    2. Alice Zulkarnain & Sanders Korenman, 2019. "Divorce and health in middle and older ages," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1081-1106, December.
    3. Giammarco Alderotti & Cecilia Tomassini & Daniele Vignoli, 2022. "‘Silver splits’ in Europe: The role of grandchildren and other correlates," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(21), pages 619-652.
    4. Viktoria Parisot, 2021. "Performing the Bad Marriage? The Transition from a Troubled to a Troubling Family in the Course of Fault Divorce in the 21st Century," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Giammarco Alderotti & Cecilia Tomassini & Daniele Vignoli, 2020. "Antecedents of 'Grey Divorces' in Europe: The Role of Children and Grandchildren," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2020_08, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".

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