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Divorce for women after midlife
P Uhlenberg1, T Cooney, R Boyd
1Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Journal of Gerontology
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Future elderly women face increasing divorce rates, leading to a significant rise in divorced individuals and a decline in married or widowed status. Divorced women experience notably lower socioeconomic well-being compared to their married or widowed peers.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Gerontology
- Demography
Background:
- Aging and divorce are significant societal trends with limited research connecting them.
- Understanding divorce patterns among older women is crucial for social policy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze current divorce patterns for women aged 40 and older.
- To project future marriage and divorce experiences for elderly women.
- To examine socioeconomic factors associated with divorce in middle-aged and older women.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the U.S. Census, Vital Statistics, and Current Population Survey.
- Analyzed marriage, divorce, and widowhood rates.
- Correlated socioeconomic well-being with marital status.
Main Results:
- Projected a significant increase in the proportion of divorced elderly women in the future.
- Indicated a marked decline in married or widowed elderly women.
- Found that divorced women have substantially lower socioeconomic well-being than widowed or married women.
Conclusions:
- The landscape of marital status among elderly women is shifting dramatically towards divorce.
- Divorce has significant negative socioeconomic consequences for older women.