Divorce rate rises among over-60s

The number of older couples getting divorced is on the rise, partly as a result of women becoming more financially independent, analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

While the overall number of divorces has been falling since the mid-1990s, the number of over-60s filing for divorce has increased.

The number of men aged 60 and over who were granted divorces hit 9,500 in 2011 – a 73 per cent rise from 1991. The picture was similar in older women – 5,800 women over 60 divorced in 2011, a sharp rise from 3,200 in 1991. ONS said the gender gap was because husbands tend to be older than their wives.