Sex and money to blame for rising tide of over 50s divorce

One in four people over 50 blame a lack of interest in sex as the reason behind their divorce, according to new research by Saga Legal Services.

With the Department for Work and Pensions reporting that divorce rates among the over 50s having risen fivefold in the past decade, Saga asked more than 1900 people who had divorced when they were over the age of 50 what the reasons for their break up were.

One in four people (25%) said a lack of sex was the trigger for their divorce, 28% said that their partner was emotionally cold or distant and 27% said they lacked commitment.

Other factors mentioned included; nagging (14%), meeting someone else (13%) and one in ten said they simply ran out of things to talk about.

Men had significantly more issues with stepchildren, with 12% saying they were a reason for a break-up compared to only 4% of women.

Saga's poll also explored the biggest dispute when going through a divorce after the age of 50 and found that over half of the battles were caused by financial disagreements rather than emotional problems or family matters.

The poll found that keeping and maintaining the home (33%) and responsibility for debts (23%) were the main reasons for conflict. More than a third of over 50 divorcees (35%) also said they argued about who was responsible for the break up.

Ros Altmann, Saga's director-general, commented: "Divorce rates amongst the over 50s are increasing and our research points to relationship issues such as a lack of interest in sex and emotional coldness playing a significant part. Perhaps once the children have grown up and flown the nest, couples are addressing the failings in their relationship and embracing a second lease of life."