While divorce is occurring less frequently among younger adults in California and the rest of the nation, the divorce rate for adults in the United States who are 50 years of age or older has increased. In fact, since the 1990s, the rate has almost doubled.
In 2015, 10 out of every 1000 persons who were 50 years old or older got a divorce, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the United States Census Bureau. For those who are 65 years or older, six out of every 1,000 married individuals sought a divorce in 2015, a divorce rate that is nearly triple that of 1990.
The divorce rate for individuals younger than 50 is two times as high than the rate for individuals at least 50. Also, the divorce for adults between the ages of 40 to 49 has also increased since 1990, though not to the degree of the rate for those 50 years or older.
For adults aged 40 to 49 in 2015, 21 out of every 1,000 married individuals pursued a divorce, a rate that is a slight increase from 18 in 1990. This is in contrast to the divorce rate for adults aged 25 to 39, which has decreased from 30 individuals out of every 1,000 married individuals in 1990 to just 24 per 1,000 married persons in 2015. The decrease in the divorce rate is partly linked to the trend of younger individuals postponing marriage until they are older.
An attorney who practices family law may represent individuals who are seeking a divorce. The attorney may engage in litigation to help clients resolve issues such as spousal support, child support, child custody, property division and more. The attorney may also negotiate on behalf of a client for favorable post-divorce modification terms.