D

A

Answers will vary. Having worked out most of the problems in their relationships and having learned to live with those that remain, older adults are less likely than younger adults to seek divorce. The ideal of lifelong marriage retains its strength. Because of fear of loss of assets, family disruption, and relocation, older adults do not undertake divorce lightly. When they do, it is often because one of the partners has taken up a relationship with an outsider. Older people are increasingly likely to cohabit today, making up about 4% of the unmarried population. Nearly 90% of older people who cohabit have been married, and they are less likely than younger people to wish to remarry. Although they are less likely than younger cohabiters to marry their partners, older cohabiters report being in more intimate, stable relationships. Whereas younger cohabiters often see their lifestyle as a prelude to marriage, older cohabiters are more likely to see their relationship as an alternate lifestyle. They cite reasons for avoiding remarriage such as concern about ramifications for pensions and disapproval of adult children, who may be concerned about their inheritance. Yet when older partners do remarry, as when they decide to cohabit, they usually make a strong commitment to one another and form a stable relationship.