Discuss divorce in midlife. How do men and women differ in psychological well-being following midlife divorce?

What will be an ideal response?

Marital satisfaction is a strong predictor of midlife psychological well-being. As in early adulthood, divorce is one way of resolving an unsatisfactory marriage. The divorce rate of U.S. 50- to 65-year-olds has doubled over the past two decades. Divorce at any age takes a heavy psychological toll, but midlifers seem to adapt more easily than younger people. Midlife gains in practical problem solving and effective coping strategies may reduce the stressful impact of divorce. Nevertheless, for many women, marital breakup—especially when it is repeated—severely reduces standard of living. For this reason, in midlife and earlier, it is a strong contributor to the feminization of poverty—a trend in which women who support themselves or their families have become the majority of the adult population living in poverty, regardless of age and ethnic group. Because of weak public policies safeguarding families, the gender gap in poverty is higher in the United States than in other Western industrialized nations. However, middle-aged women who weather divorce successfully tend to become more tolerant, comfortable with uncertainty, nonconforming, and self-reliant in personality—factors believed to be fostered by divorce-forced independence. And both men and women reevaluate what they consider important in a healthy relationship, placing greater weight on equal friendship and less on passionate love than they had the first time. Little is known about long-term adjustment following divorce among middle-aged men, perhaps because most enter new relationships and remarry within a short time.