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Can an empty nest cause divorce?

On Behalf of | May 30, 2023 | Divorce

Saying that a couple has become “empty-nesters” just means that their children moved out of the house. Those children may have gone to college, they may have purchased their own homes or they may have started families. Regardless of why they left, their parents are now empty-nesters as they live in the family home alone.

In some cases, this has been linked to the rising divorce rate among those who are 50 years old and older. Naturally, this age group is the one that is most likely to be empty-nesters simply because their children have had enough time to grow up and move on with their lives. Additionally, this age group has shown an increase in the divorce rate, despite the decrease in divorce rates for younger couples. This does seem to show a correlation between the two, but why would this be?

The couple’s relationship may have changed

One potential problem that crops up is that the relationship between the two adults has also changed while they’ve been raising their children. Maybe they no longer really feel like a romantic couple. They just feel like co-parents who helped each other raise their kids, but there’s not much connection between them personally.

Often, simply having the children in the home can disguise this change. Parents don’t even realize that they’re drifting apart because they are so busy and so distracted. But becoming empty-nesters then sparks this realization as life changes, and then they decide that it’s time to get divorced.

Getting divorced at this age can be complicated because older couples tend to have more assets. They need to make sure they know exactly what legal steps to take.