The 'gray divorce' trend: As the Gates split shows, more older couples are getting divorced. Here's why

Just like Bill and Melinda Gates, more older couples are getting divorced these days. It's no longer taboo to part ways when a couple isn't happy anymore, and as people live longer they are often choosing to not stay in unhappy marriages.

In most marriages, after decades together, we know each other's routines, the idiosyncrasies of our families of origin, the cadence of each other's work days, and how we like our coffee. After so many years of marriage, we know our partners at their best and, of course, at their very worst.