High Income Women More Likely to Divorce

Women who are over the age of 50 and earning more than $100,000 a year are much more likely to divorce than men of the same age and income category.

A U.S. Census Bureau study – 2009 America’s Families and Living Arrangements – shows that 11.85 percent of American women aged 45-49 and earning over $100,000 a year are divorced, but that number almost doubles to 22.45 percent at age 50-54.

For men of the same age and income bracket, the divorced percentage drops from 8.4 percent for those aged 45-49 to 6.61 percent for those aged 50-54. Also, as men’s income climbs, the divorce rate drops, but for women, it’s the exact opposite – as their income grows, so does their divorce rate.

Many relationship experts believe that because marriages today are based more on love and compatibility than economic security, once women are financially secure, they tend to shed mates who no longer meet their emotional needs. As their incomes rise, their priorities change from focusing on food and shelter to finding fulfillment, either in new relationships, work or hobbies. And while studies on happiness show that money doesn’t buy it, money does allow women more freedom to pursue it.