Editing Divorce (section)

=== Divorce of elderly couples ===
In the United States of America, since the mid-1990s, the divorce rate has increased to over 50% among [[baby boomer]]s. More and more seniors are staying single; an analysis of census data conducted at [[Bowling Green State University]] predicted that divorce numbers would continue to rise. Baby boomers who remain unmarried are five times more likely to live in poverty than those who are married. They are also three times as likely to receive food stamps, public assistance or disability payments.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/us/more-americans-rejecting-marriage-in-50s-and-beyond.html?_r=1 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Rachel L. |last=Swarns |title=More Americans Rejecting Marriage in 50s and Beyond |date=2012-03-01 |access-date=2017-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626222606/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/us/more-americans-rejecting-marriage-in-50s-and-beyond.html?_r=1 |archive-date=2017-06-26 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sociologists believe that the rise in the number of older Americans who are not married is a result of factors such as longevity and economics. Women, especially, are becoming more and more financially independent which allows them to feel more secure with being alone, in addition to changing perceptions of being divorced or single. This has resulted in less pressure for baby boomers to marry or stay married.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>