When a wife falls ill, the risk of divorce increases
It’s one of the fundamental marriage vows: to stay by your spouse in sickness and in health. But new research on late-in-life divorces has suggested that those vows don’t play out as expected, at least when it’s a woman who gets sick.
A February 2025 study asked how health influences divorce among older couples (age 50-64). The findings were stunning, if perhaps not surprising: when both spouses stay in good health, divorce rates are relatively stable, and the same is true if the husband becomes ill. However, if the wife falls ill, the divorce rate gets significantly higher.
Disparate societal expectations and gender roles may explain this disparity
The 2025 study is far from the first to identify this connection between ailing wives and divorce rates. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior likewise found that, while either the husband’s or wife’s illness was (unsurprisingly) correlated with an increased risk of widowhood, only the wife’s illness correlated with an increased risk of divorce.
While more research may be needed to understand exactly why health affects marriage in such a disparate way, the study results make intuitive sense based on traditional expectations about marriage and gender.
As Forbes points out, when a husband becomes ill, the traditional understanding of roles in the marriage isn’t disrupted; the woman is already expected to be a caregiver. But when a wife becomes sick or disabled and the husband has to step into the roles of cook, cleaner, and caregiver, that’s a reversal of expectations that puts stress on the marriage.
Those expectations are deep-seated, particularly among older couples, even in a society that ostensibly values a more equitable split of responsibilities between spouses. And those expectations can do significant damage to even longstanding marriages that long appeared healthy.
Divorce later in life poses special challenges
While divorce can be difficult at any age, divorce over age 50 can pose special challenges, including:
More complex division of assets
In general, older couples have more assets to divide than younger couples. This means there are potentially more options to resolve a divorce, but it also means the stakes in divorce are higher, and conflicts can become more severe. Furthermore, retirement assets can be particularly complicated to divide.
Changing financial situations
Older divorcees may be in their peak earning years as they move into senior or leadership positions in their fields. They may also be looking at a loss of income as they approach retirement. This shifting financial ground needs to be taken into account during divorce proceedings.
Unfortunately, when older spouses get divorced, they may be experiencing age-related decline that can inhibit their ability to understand and participate fully in the divorce proceedings. In some cases, it may be necessary to appoint a guardian or conservator to help with the process.
Impact on adult children
It’s also important to remember that divorce is always hard on children, even adult children. Older couples going through a divorce may be tempted to confide in their adult children, viewing them as peers, but this is not appropriate—it risks complicating the divorce and forcing children to choose between their parents.
An experienced divorce attorney can help you navigate these challenges
A late-in-life divorce poses special challenges, but those challenges are surmountable with the right legal counsel. That’s where we come in. The experienced Southern Illinois divorce attorneys at Courtney Clark Law P.C. understand the complexity of late-in-life divorce and know how to find your right path forward.
Let our divorce lawyers guide you down the right path. To see how we can help you, give us a call or contact us online today.
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