AUGUST 2023 - 1
Dating After 50: Debunking the Myths that Keep Us Lonely and Stuck
A U G U S T 2 0 2 3
Of the many changes we experience as we head into the second 50 years of life, our relationship status is often an unexpected change. Many of us marry in our twenties or early thirties, some of us in our late teens, and we expect to remain married until we pass. For many of us, the reality changes. After the age of 50, we are unmarried for many reasons. Some of our partners have passed. Some of us are divorced. Still others among us never married at all. Whatever the reason, the numbers of single Americans in the second half of life is on the rise. Roughly 25% of men 50+ are single. The number of single women is even higher. For women ages 50-64, 20% are single. The number increases after the age of 65, when nearly half of all women are single. Millions of Americans are single and seeking connection later in life. As a mental health counselor, my clients are often seeking connection. Many of my clients are divorced or widowed. The image they had of their fifties and beyond has changed. They expected to be married later in life, to be booking vacations with their spouse or visiting grandchildren together. They had financial, social and family goals defined by partnership, and these goals now feel unreachable or devoid of meaning. Many of the people I know and work with, both professionally and personally, find it challenging to redefine a life they’d envisioned for decades, with a partner, growing old as a family. For many of the people I work with, the first stage of life without a partner is the belief one doesn’t need companionship. I hear, all the time, “I’ll just live alone and enjoy the quiet and solitude. There won’t be anyone telling me what to do or asking me where I’m going.”
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ASK THE EXPERT: WHAT IS A SOLO AGER? FEATURE: DATING AFTER 50: DEBUNKING THE MYTHS THAT KEEP US LONELY AND STUCK INFOGRAPHIC: PURPLE HEART DAY