‘Grey divorce’ getting more prevalent in Canada. Why it’s a concern

Canadian couples are more open to seeking divorce in later life and some research suggests this can adversely impact women more than men.

Canadian couples are more open to seeking divorce in later life, and research suggests this can impact women more than men.

In Canada, the average age for divorce has been steadily rising over the years, partly because people are increasingly getting married at a later age. In 2020, the average age of divorce was 48 years, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada.

Over the last three decades, the country has seen a rise in “grey divorce” when couples aged 50 years and older split up, according to StatCan, although the divorce rates in that age group have stabilized more recently, dipping in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The breakdown of a marriage is never easy, but divorce at an older age beyond 50 has its unique set of challenges, experts say.

There seems to be less of a stigma around divorce and older couples are more willing to end their marriage if they are not happy with it, said Kevin Caspersz, a family lawyer in Vaughan, Ont. and managing partner at Caspersz Chegini LLP.

Caspersz told Global News that in the past 10 years, he has seen an increase in “grey divorce”, particularly with individuals 65 or older seeking to end their marriages.

“It’s definitely more prevalent over the years,” he said. “They (senior couples) look at it as they only have so much more time left to enjoy life and if they’re not happy in their relationship, the children have left the home. (There’s an) empty nest, they see no reason in continuing the marriage.”

Rachel Margolis, a professor in the sociology department at the University of Western Ontario, said there are multiple factors that can contribute to a “grey divorce.”

One of them is that baby boomers, who are aged 60 to 78, have gone through different social changes during their lives.