In recent years, the trend of “grey divorce” ~ or divorce “among older couples ~ has been on the rise. This trend has been the subject of much discussion and analysis, as it is a departure from the traditional understanding of divorce, which has typically been associated with younger couples. Rather than celebrating silver anniversaries, several couples in their 50s or above are going in for ‘silver separation’.

With grown-up children leaving home, retirement looming large and the empty nest syndrome hitting home, a rising number of couples are choosing to lead a life of emotional fulfilment ~ in their individual spaces. The grounds claimed for grey divorces include being fed up with prolonged torture, taunts, not getting respect, and others. Many adults feel that their marriages have differences, but due to social obligations and other issues, they maintain the connection with their partner.

However, after reaching old age, on looking back, they feel the relationships were full of abuse, nagging, loneliness, hard to understand, full of traumatic events, and lack of respect and values. What was once a hard choice after years ~ even decades ~ together, is now becoming an option that people are thinking about. In the last 10 years, the percentage of older divorce cases has almost doubled in India. In these times, terms like ‘personal happiness’, ‘personal space’ and ‘peace of mind’ have become important life goals. Without the distractions of work and children, these things become more apparent to couples who do not have any shared interests, children apart.

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While uncommon in India, the prevalence of ‘Grey Divorce’ is increasing in the United States. In the shastras marriage was viewed as a sacrament. The relationship of husband and wife, once established through proper customs and rituals, was believed to be irrevocable. Marriage is an important social event from which a person starts his/her........

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