The SHARE International Seminar Series (SISS) presents:

The Rise of Grey Divorce in Europe

Abstract

The term grey divorce refers to marital dissolutions occurring among older adults, typically aged 50 and above (sometimes 60+). Grey divorces—or, more broadly, “silver splits,” a term that also encompasses separations—have been extensively studied in the United States, whereas they remain a relatively recent and less explored phenomenon in Europe. Understanding their diffusion and determinants is crucial in a context of increasing family diversity at older ages, driven in part by rising life expectancy.

This seminar brings together two complementary papers on grey divorce in Europe. The first paper examines the diffusion of silver splits across European countries and investigates their correlates, with particular attention to the role of children and grandchildren. The second paper focuses more specifically on the role of health as a determinant of union dissolution in later life, adopting a dyadic perspective and uncovering interesting gendered patterns in the association between health and dissolution risks. Both papers rely on SHARE data and are co-authored with Cecilia Tomassini (University of Molise) and Daniele Vignoli (University of Florence).

Paper 1: Alderotti, G., Tomassini, C., & Vignoli, D. (2022). ‘Silver splits’ in Europe.  Demographic Research ,  46 , 619-652.

Paper 2: Vignoli, D., Alderotti, G., & Tomassini, C. (2025). Partners’ health and silver splits in Europe: A gendered pattern?.  Journal of Marriage and Family ,  87 (4), 1639-1663.

Biography

Giammarco Alderotti is a tenure-track assistant professor in Demography at the University of Florence, Department of Statistics, Computer Science, Applications. Before joining as a researcher in 2023, he worked as a Research Fellow in Demography in the same department. He earned his PhD in Demography from Sapienza University of Rome in 2020 and participated in the European Doctoral School in Demography (EDSD, 2016/2017), hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany) and Sapienza University of Rome.

His research focuses on fertility in high-income countries, migrant fertility, the relationship between work and family formation, the link between health and divorce, and the link between health and fertility (also among migrants). He is a member of the EAPS Working Group on Migrant and Minority Fertility in Europe, and participated as a researcher in various ERC-funded projects.

Giammarco has published in leading demographic journals, including Demography, Journal of Marriage and Family, European Sociological Review, Journals of Gerontology Series B, European Societies, and International Migration, where he also serves as a peer reviewer. He is a member of the Early-Career Review Board of Social Science Research and he serves as Associate Editor for Genus.