Gray Divorce During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Public Health

Background:

• Emerging evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic may have hindered divorce processes and finalizations.
• The "gray divorce" phenomenon, referring to divorces among adults aged 50 and older, warrants investigation in the context of the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the gray divorce rate decreased following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To analyze changes in gray divorce rates across sociodemographic subgroups during the pandemic era.
• To compare pandemic-era divorce trends for middle-aged versus older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2019 and 2021 American Community Survey (ACS).
• Estimated pandemic-era gray divorce rates for various sociodemographic subgroups.
• Pooled 2019 and 2021 data to assess changes in divorce risk, controlling for sociodemographic factors.

Main Results:

• The gray divorce rate experienced a decline subsequent to the pandemic's emergence.
• The reduction in gray divorce rates was more pronounced among middle-aged adults (50-64) than older adults (65+).
• For older adults, the divorce rate remained relatively stable, showing minimal change.

Conclusions:

• The recent trend in gray divorce now aligns with the general pattern of modest decline observed in overall U.S. divorce rates.
• Future research is needed to ascertain if the gray divorce rate will continue to decrease as society adapts to a post-pandemic environment.