There has been a decline of joint residence between elderly parents and their adult children, a change, which gathered momentum from the 1960's onward. Husbands tend to encroach on wives personal time and space and the husband's presence begins to create different forms of domestic work for their wives. Retirement can bring out the negative aspects of a marriage, especially for women. Women tend to benefit less from their husband's retirement than do retiring husbands. In America, it is estimated by 2005 over half of those reaching retirement age will be divorced at least once.
Remarriage is more frequent at all stages of the life span.
Currently one in every three marriages involves remarriage of one partner. The remarriage rate is higher for men than for women of all ages, leading to an increased likelihood of women being alone in future years. Widowhood among women in late life is a high probability event and this is particularly the case for women aged 75 years or over. This reflects both women's greater life expectancy and their tendency to marry men older than themselves. Nearly one-third of widows suffers from depression six months following bereavement.