With ‘grey divorces’ on the rise in the US, the number of people over 50s living together is increasing, states a study
In many ways, the life that Karen Kanter and Stan Tobin share in Philadelphia sounds entirely typical. Both 75, they happily see movies and plays together, visit children and grandchildren, try new restaurants. Tobin, an accountant who maintains a small tax practice, makes time for a monthly men’s group.
A retired middle-school teacher, Kanter hustles between book and art appreciation groups while volunteering and writing a historical novel. He supported her through a successful breast cancer treatment years ago. She has been prodding him about putting on pounds, so he has returned to Weight Watchers. Careful about financial and legal arrangements, they coown their condo near the Museum of Art and a cottage in upstate New York. She has his power of attorney and healthcare proxy, and vice versa.
But although they have been a couple since 2002 and have shared a home since 2004, they are not married. And among older adults, they have a lot of company. The number of people over 50 who cohabit with an unmarried partner jumped 75% from 2007 to 2016, the Pew Research Centre in the US reported last month — the highest increase in any age group. “It was a striking finding,” said Renee Stepler, a Pew research analyst. “We often think of cohabiters as being young.” Most still are. But the number of cohabiters over age 50 rose to 4 million from 2.3 million over the decade, and the number over age 65 doubled to about 9,00,000.
This story is from the July 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.
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This story is from the July 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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