Isolation can be particularly difficult for men. “Men are the ones who usually face a social ‘gray divorce penalty,’” says Jocelyn Crowley, author of “Gray Divorce: What We Lose and Gain from Mid-Life Splits.”
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Jocelyn Elise Crowley
Two different divorces? Dr. Jocelyn Elise Crowley analyzes how divorce over the age of 50 produces different impacts for men and women in Thrive Magazine, Winter/Spring 2026.
Crowley’s research, based on interviews with 80 individuals, reveals that gray divorce carries many of the same emotional and practical challenges as divorce at any age.
Dr. Crowley Explores Technology-Facilitated Violence Among Women Rideshare Drivers
What happens when women rideshare drivers confront sexual abuse from male riders? Most perpetrators don’t stop—they persist. Dr. Crowley sheds light on technology-facilitated gender-based violence experienced by women in the U.S. ridesharing industry.
Jocelyn Crowley: The reality of a ‘grey divorce’
Divorce in later life – or grey divorce – is on the rise in New Zealand. Divorces among people over 50 sits just shy of 40 percent at last count, up 7 percent in the last decade. This echoes the upwards trending rates around the globe. Most commonly, they are initiated by women.
Jocelyn Crowley, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University in the US has researched and written Gray Divorce, She joins Jim to discuss.
‘Was it all smoke and mirrors?’: How adult children are affected by grey divorce
“Women are basically the social directors of family life still in 2025, and when that goes away men become like islands in the sea,” says Crowley.
Dr. Crowley discusses the benefits of divorce after the age of 50 for women in Woman’s World Magazine in March 2025
“When I spoke to the women, they pinpointed three areas where they thought their divorces benefited them,” she reveals. “The first was independence—freedom to make their own decisions—while the next biggest positive was their ability to get away from their ex’s toxic behaviors.” The third key benefit is something we can all take inspiration from: feeling happier with life overall.
The astonishing rise of gray divorce
“Every year you’re out of the workforce, that gets entered into the complex Social Security formula for benefits as a zero — that you basically did nothing that year, even though you were raising your children,” Crowley says. “As you might imagine, when women emerge from a gray divorce, they are hammered in comparison to men.”
The Faces Behind Gray Divorce
According to a study conducted by Jocelyn Crowley of Rutgers University, participants identified positive aspects of their lives post-gray divorce, including higher levels of overall happiness, liberation from their ex-spouses, and enhanced independence and freedom.
For Female Fashion Models, Job Security and Sexual Harassment Are Often Intertwined
The “party life,” or informal types of social networking, increases the risk of sexual harassment for women in an industry dominated by powerful men, according to a Rutgers study
The Daily Targum Interviews Dr. Jocelyn Elise Crowley on Her Research on Sexual Harassment in the Fashion Industry
Regarding the implications of her research, Crowley said that individuals must be aware that sexual harassment can happen in places other than on the actual job site. Networking is a significant part of working in the fashion industry, which means that there must be awareness of what happens outside of actual job sites.