Elderly husbands are more likely to divorce sick wives, but not vice versa
Wives’ health reasons for divorce are revealed in research.
Researchers have identified a common reason why couples decide to part ways after living together for several decades. It turns out that the initiator of the divorce is often the husband if the wife is ill or has lost her former vitality.
The promise of 'in sickness and in health'—is it still an unbreakable vow or an outdated formality? A new study conducted by Italian scientists has shown that the rate of 'gray' divorces increases when a wife becomes seriously ill or faces physical limitations. However, when similar health issues arise with the husband, the divorce statistics remain virtually unchanged. The study was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. It covered data from 25,542 heterosexual couples aged 50 to 64 from Europe over the period from 2004 to 2022. The results were surprising: a decline in the wife's health significantly increased the likelihood of divorce, whereas the husband's illnesses had almost no effect on marital stability, reports SCMP. Also read: Kindergarten, suspenders: 5 signs of psychological immaturity in adults. The phenomenon of 'gray' divorce, American psychologist Mark Travers links this trend...
A tendency towards traditional gender roles.
According to him, society has long placed the primary responsibility for household management on women, and when a wife can no longer fulfill these duties due to illness, it may be seen as a violation of the 'marital contract.' 'Expecting that a woman will be the only one maintaining the household is archaic and unfair,' says Mark Travers. 'However, the reality is that even with health problems, the domestic burden in families is rarely redistributed.' In recent years, divorces among elderly couples, referred to as 'gray divorces,' have become significantly more common.
According to research data
According to data from Bowling Green State University (Ohio, USA), the number of 'gray' divorces has tripled from 1990 to 2022. Rosie Shrout, a family relationships expert at Purdue University, explains this trend by the increase in life expectancy. Modern older adults are less likely to tolerate unhappy marriages and more often hope to find a new partner. They want to stay longer and do not want to remain in relationships that do not satisfy them," says Shraut. "They are more open to new romances even in adulthood. People more easily find partners even after widowhood, and especially after separating from a spouse." '
The phenomenon of 'gray' divorce,
When a marriage can't be saved, earlier, 'Doctor Peter' spoke with psychologist Marianna Tetera about 'gray' divorces in Russia and why people are increasingly parting ways after 20 years of marriage. According to her, after 50, a 'gray' divorce may be inevitable also because people experience a crisis due to their children growing up and the loss of meaning. The husband and wife simply no longer share anything in common; there are no mutual interests and concerns – they have to rebuild their relationship without the intermediaries of children. Not everyone can cope with such difficulties and ultimately separate from their partner. According to the psychologist, a marriage can always be saved if both spouses are willing to work on it. However, if the coldness and detachment...The detachment has reached its peak; people simply do not want to communicate, share the problems and joys of their lives, so it is worth considering divorce.
