Couples going through gray divorce, their families, and community members can all benefit from divorce rituals.
Gray divorce refers to divorce that occurs among couples 50 years of age and older. It is rapidly becoming more common in the U.S. and abroad. Since 1990, the divorce rate of this group has doubled, and researchers predict it will increase by another third by 2030.
A widespread cultural myth posits that since the children of these divorcing couples are typically adults, they won’t be affected much by their parents’ divorce. The voices of these adult children poignantly tell a different story.
I (Carol Hughes) spoke with Dr. Monza Naff, the author of Must We Say We Did Not Love? The Need for Divorce Rituals in our Time, about why divorce rituals are crucial for families of gray divorce. Our conversation is below.