Divorce rates are booming for older Americans, setting a trend researchers call “gray divorce.” The reasons behind this increase are varied: people are living longer, divorce stigma has decreased and women are more financially independent.
No matter the cause, leaving a decades-long marriage is a big life upheaval. Host Anita Rao gets personal accounts from two gray divorcees about what it was like to rebuild their identities, finances and freedom post-divorce.
Laura Stassi, the host of the podcast “Dating While Gray,” discusses finding her sense of self beyond the labels of “wife” and “mother.” She shares insights from her research into gray divorce and her chats with other older folks about love and dating in the later years of life.
Dr. Stephanie Han, a literature scholar, award-winning author and educator, talks about how her divorce finally pushed her to sort out her issues with money — and the role that writing a divorce story played in the outcome of her divorce.
Both Laura and Stephanie share the hardships and the new opportunities found in the divorce process, and they discuss why women initiate divorce most often in heterosexual partnerships.
Special thanks to Nanette Murphy and Linda Lingo for sharing their thoughts for this episode!
