Marriages that endure to the end of life have long been celebrated, from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Noah and Allie in The Notebook. For some couples, however, the story plays out very differently.
Since the 1980s, the proportion of separations among couples who've been married for 20 years and longer has been increasing - a phenomenon known as "grey divorce".
And for the women leaving those relationships, facing the second half of their lives without the person they'd assumed they'd see out their sunset years with can be both liberating and confronting.
At 67-years-old Fran Roberts, whose 30-year marriage ended in 2015, is emphatic that she will never remarry. She spends her days indulging her passions for art, music, travel, books, podcasts, good food and wine. Whether it's attending an organ recital, lunching with her adult children or hitting the pavement with her weekly walking group, Fran relishes having agency over her time, and is intent on making the most of that.
"Who knows how long you've got?" she points out. Prioritising her own needs might have invoked guilt when she was a mum of two young children, but now that her kids are grown-ups, that's no longer the case.
"I think I've shared enough of my life and devoted it to other people," says Fran, who retired from her administration role last year. "I was a pretty full-time mother for a long time, and now I'm just happy to enjoy my independence. And it might be a little selfish, but I think that's okay.
I love being able to plan my life as I please." It can be bewildering to find yourself suddenly single after the age of 50, but once the dust has settled, increasing numbers of women like Fran are embracing the opportunity to create a life that's centred around their own dreams and desires. Being partnered, they've found, is no longer an essential component of a fulfilling life.
This story is from the April 2024 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2024 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
