More than 38 millions American are living alone. That statistic has reached a record high. More than 3 times as many as in the 1960s.

There are a number of reasons why living alone has grown. One includes the economic gains women have made since they entered the workforce. Another is the changing attitude toward marriage. It’s now OK to not want to be married. But the one factor that surprised the data collectors is the rise in divorce rates among adults over 50. That is what this post is about:

According to statistics by the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University nearly 16 million people aged 65 and older live solo. One of the biggest reasons is termed “gray divorce revolution”. Divorce rates in the overall population are declining, but well over a third of the people who now getting divorced are over the age of 50.

Many times, the reason for those over 50 divorce is simply that over the years they have drifted further apart, and have little in common anymore. They feel like any years of life they have left are too precious to spend with the wrong person.

But, of course, many others in this group are widowed, and a growing share have never been married. Many people find it really appealing to have autonomy. Personally, I can say that is a two-sided blade. Yes, living alone means you don’t have to confer with someone else about

• where you want to go on vacation
• What to watch on TV
• to eat in or eat out
• Etc, etc, etc

But, like it or not, to be human is to be a social critter. We depend on each other for more than we would like to admit. Even though we enjoy being alone, there will always be times when we get terribly lonely.

Growing Apart

We all start out our marriages thinking almost totally about love, and likely some sex thrown in. Most of us don’t consider how different we are from the person we promise to live with “until death do us part”. Sometimes, through the years, those differences can build to an intolerable state.