Opinion: It won't end with Bill and Melinda Gates. Get ready for the demise of more marriages.

[Klaralven]

After steadily rising for decades, overall divorce rates in the United States hit a 50-year low in 2019. While marriage advocates are celebrating the decline in broken unions, their joy may be short-lived.

Divorce rates are expected to spike again in the aftermath of the pandemic. After spending 24/7 together — with little outside social contact coupled with the financial, emotional and physical stress of the pandemic — some couples are taking a hard look at their marriage. For certain empty-nesters, the pandemic was a preview of what retirement with their spouse might look like, and they didn’t like what they saw.

Recently, several of our financial advisers have reported a noticeable uptick in calls inquiring about the financial implications of divorce. Many of those calls are from clients in their 50s and above. These later-in-life dissolutions, like the highly publicized split by Bill and Melinda French Gates, are known as “gray divorces” and they are on the rise.

Since the 1990s, the divorce rate for adults 50 and older in the U.S. has roughly doubled, according to findings from the Pew Research Center. In fact, for adults 65 and older, the divorce rate has tripled over that same period and is even worse for remarriages.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/it-wont-end-with-bill-and-melinda-gates-get-ready-for-the-end-of-more-marriages-11626453904

[Champp]

1. G.O.P. Cupid coming to the rescue

Last edited Tue Jul 20, 2021, 09:40 AM - Edit history (1)

Edited by popular demand to provide a less-offensive notion.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. What's "GOP" about this photo?

[Champp]

3. sense and sensibility

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. What do you mean?

[Blue_Adept]

5. It's just more shaming

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. I know. Just trying to get people to understand that others might see them as bigoted.

[Blue_Adept]

8. it's so common here these days that I don't think they can understand it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Yep. It's one of the last acceptable bigotries.

[underpants]

6. Giggling. 🤣

Thanks. Ooookay now to this work thing.

[Willis88]

10. We're fat shaming now?

Because this really has nothing to do with the party of racists.

[Tarc]

11. There is no "we" here, Mr. 7

You "concern" is noted, though.

[femmedem]

13. Why are you belittling someone for being new here instead of welcoming them?

And why are you insinuating that someone is trolling because they are speaking out against body shaming? Or am I misunderstanding your post?

[Tarc]

22. I do not trust new users here

More often than not, a single-digit post-count is a fraud.

[Blue_Adept]

36. and we've had plenty of 10k+ posters that were frauds as well

[femmedem]

12. Welcome to DU.

I'm sorry that your post got an undeserved, rude reply. No one deserves snark for having a low post count or for speaking out against prejudice.

[Willis88]

25. Ty. Comes with the territory of an anonymous internet

Keyboard bullies

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. .

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. Thanks for reconsidering.

[Apollo Zeus]

14. The Gates marriage is hardly typical

Statistics don't cause events. Events create statistics.

Also: "Gates' divorce partially motivated by deals with Jeffrey Epstein: Report "
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/gates-divorce-partially-motivated-by-deals-with-jeffrey-epstein-report/ar-BB1gxF73

[Grins]

26. Yes. Why bring them into this story?

[Buckeyeblue]

17. Traditional marriage is outdated

Divorce should be easier. And it should be simple. Assets and debts are divided 50/50.

Although I do understand if one person in the marriage has more income it could leave the other person in a financial tough spot. But there could be rules worked out around that.

I think ideally marriage should have to be periodically renewed. Maybe every five years.

[Pharlo]

18. Leave traditional marriage for those who want it,

but I think a non-religious legal option should be available - with a 5 or 10 year time limit. With that legal option should come all of the legal / financial benefits that people in traditional marriages receive.

[Buckeyeblue]

19. Good idea

The only reason my spouse and I married was to share insurance and to ensure the other could make medical decisions for the other in an emergency.

And as if this morning still happy together...but you don't need married for a strong, healthy relationship.

[OriginalGeek]

27. Aren't all marriages in the USA non-religious?

There is nothing the church adds to the legality of a union. They just add to the show.

Marriage with regard to taxes and benefits and health decisions is completely secular. Folks are free to add religion into their union but the state doesn't care one way or the other.

I reckon every single day one or both parties in a marriage may decide they've had enough so the term limit point is kinda moot.

But I do believe both marriage and divorce should be easier for any adult in this country.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. Agreed

When we applied for our pensions (mine from the company & my wife from the teachers' fund) we needed a marriage certificate from the local government.
I went to the main office in the county where we got married, not to the church!
Yeah, the marriage was in a church (family mollification), but legally it was the state that granted the license.
We could have gotten married at a gas station!
Getting married at the cathedral did make for good wedding photos though!

[Javaman]

20. odd, my GF of 18 years and I are probably going to be married soon. :)

take that weird stats! LOL

[OriginalGeek]

28. Congrats!

My wife and I are set to go off on vacation next week to celebrate our 35th anniversary. (We are actually staying at the same beachside hotel where we went for our honeymoon. Gonna do all the same dumb tourist stuff we did as kids and even eat at Red Lobster at least once because that's what we did 35 years ago when we both thought that was fancy dinin')

I guess I'm lucky in that I came to work every weekday during the pandemic (even got paid extra to do so!) so we aren't having that problem anyway. And the extra pay helped some other issues lol.

[Javaman]

32. y'all from a small town?

Red Lobster was "fancy" dining for me too once upon a time.

Cheers and congratulations! 35 years is something to be proud of.

[OriginalGeek]

33. Thanks!

No I've lived near big cities all my life. We were just poor and RL had cloth napkins lol.


I'm still mad at them for getting rid of the langostino nachos.

[Skittles]

34. have a great time!

perhaps you can pony up a few bucks for DU

[malaise]

21. As a close friend said if you can still tolerate the presence of your partner after

the past year and a half, you have a good relationship. Sadly cracks in relationships are now wide open chasms as well.

[haele]

23. I think the Gates marriage breakup had some other things involved other than just growing apart.

Celebrity and big money have their own relationship issues, especially when dealing with not only the big egos and personalities it often takes to get the celebrity and/or big money, but outside influences and expectations intruding on the personal lives of these people.

That being said, external stresses that affect relationship and financial expectations tend to be primary causes of divorce no matter the social status of the marriage. The Pandemic and additional costs to stay safe don't help.

Haele

[haele]

24. I think the Gates marriage breakup had some other things involved other than just growing apart.

Celebrity and big money have their own relationship issues, especially when dealing with not only the big egos and personalities it often takes to get the celebrity and/or big money, but outside influences and expectations intruding on the personal lives of these people.

That being said, external stresses that affect relationship and financial expectations tend to be primary causes of divorce no matter the social status of the marriage. The Pandemic and additional costs to stay safe don't help.

Haele

[DFW]

29. Just a small warning

Don’t get ready for the dissolution of my marriage.

We met when we were 22. We got married at 30. We’re 69 now, and still happy.

Sorry to be such a bore

[Sympthsical]

30. Bill cheating on Melinda was long an open secret

In the same way that everyone knew about Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey for years.

Unimaginable wealth does things to people. They don't play by our rules.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

35. The Trump-demic might play a role too!

Imagine being married to a Trump supporter, especially someone voting for him AGAIN after that 4-year disaster!

Eww!!

[betsuni]

37. Ridiculous.