Why more Japanese women are choosing ‘silver divorce’ after decades of marriage
As children leave home and with changing pension rules, more older Japanese women are choosing to walk away from distant marriages
Ayumi lives alone in a spacious suburban house originally bought to raise a family, her two cats now her only full-time companions. Her two daughters have grown up and left home, and her husband of more than two decades moved out nearly a year ago as they finalise a divorce.
For the 62-year-old Kawasaki resident, who spoke on condition that her surname be withheld, this was not how she envisioned her later years.
“He worked very long hours, including on weekends, and I was always busy taking care of the house and raising the children,” Ayumi said. “I think we worked well as a team at the beginning, but somewhere along the way, we just stopped talking like we had before.”
The marriage had its fair share of ups and downs – financial stress during their daughters’ university years and the deaths of their respective parents. But the final break came when the girls left home.
