Gore Split: Experts Say Divorce After 40 Years Is Rare

Marriage and divorce experts say marriages usually fall apart in the first few years or right after children leave the home, but not after several decades of marriage. That's why Michal Doman, a divorce attorney in Chicago, told Chicago Tribune reporters that Tipper and Al Gore's separation after 40 years is very rare:

"A lot of times you make it through while the kids are in school. Then once the youngest goes off to college, the couples look at each other and say, 'What do we have?' Forty years, though, that's hard to explain."

Former Vice President Al Gore and wife Tipper Gore recently announced their intention to separate, shocking friends and associates who believed their marriage was especially strong.

Linda Waite, a sociology professor and director of the Center on the Demography and Economics of Aging at the University of Chicago, said that most couples have worked out their differences after a few decades:

"You have a history that nobody else will ever have with you."

But Evergreen State University family studies professor Stephanie Coontz said it actually has become more common for couples to get divorced after 25 to 35 years of marriage, since they have more post-divorce options. She said people in their 50s and 60s are healthier, have a longer life expectancy and better chances of meeting a new partner.

The Gores simply stated that they had grown apart but gave no other details.

Divorce University, a program of The Lilac Tree in Evanston, connects women who are going through divorce with divorce attorneys in Chicago, mediators and other experts. Lilac Tree's executive director said half of the program's 101 recent participants said in a survey that they were getting divorced after more than 20 years of marriage.

People get divorced at all ages for any number of reasons, even though it's rare after 40 years. Regardless, the process usually goes smoother with the help of an Illinois family law attorney.

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