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More women over 65 are getting married because they don't want to be lonely in retirement.

New research out of the UK has shown more women are getting married over the age of 65, for fear of spending retirement on their own.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the marriage rate for women over 65 increased by 56 per cent between 2009 and 2014. For men it rose by 41 per cent.

In Australia, the median age for marriage also increased between 1994 and 2004. There was also a slight increase in the number of women getting married over the age of 50, however there is no data specific to the 65-plus age group.

The couple who retired in their 30s. Post continues… 

Traditionally, marriages in older men have been much more common than marriages in older women. Why? Mostly because men tend to marry women who are much younger, and older women are left with fewer options.

Now, this is changing.

“Over the past 20 years we have seen divorce growing in popularity among younger women, so many more women are ageing as divorced women,” Professor of social gerontology at Manchester University, Debora Price, told The Telegraph. “There is therefore more variation in the sort of women who are remarrying later in life. There are also many more opportunities for divorced people to go out and meet each other.”

Yet, even with the 56 per cent increase, women over 65 are still four times less likely to get married than men of the same age group.

‘til death do us part is OVER. Post continues below.

Researchers are saying the rise in marriages in older women is due to an increased life expectancy and … loneliness. Women don’t want to spend 30 years by themselves after being widowed or divorced.

It makes sense, travelling and golfing and studying and reading and playing with grand-kids wouldn’t be so much fun if you had to do it all on your own.

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