Nearly half of Canadian married couples age 55-59 seek to end their marriages, the Edmonton Journal reported.
While that nation's overall divorce rate fell more than 11 percent between 1993 and 2003, a closer look at older couples revealed a different trend. Thirty-four percent of those age 50-54 and 48 percent of those 55-59 sought divorce.
Dave Quist, executive director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, said there is a connection between the higher divorce rate among older Canadians and the shift in social attitude toward marriage and divorce that began about 40 years ago.
"Canada’s Divorce Act became law in 1968, a time when many of these people were getting married," he said. "In 1985, the law was changed to include no-fault divorce."
A lower divorce rate among younger couples is actually a result of fewer marriages, he said, as more and more couples are choosing to live together instead.
Glenn Stanton, senior analyst for marriage and sexuality at Focus on the Family, said the increased rate of divorce is not only an indicator of social change, it is also an indication that older couples have not adequately prepared for that life stage.
"This increase in divorce among older folks, according to my observations, is driven by husbands and wives who have poured themselves into career and home -- caring for and providing for the children," he said. "Then, when their children leave the nest, the couple finds little to hold them together, because they have not been focused on themselves as a couple."
