Retirement puts stress on marriages

Divorce among seniors people in Japan is soaring - 41,948 divorces in 2000 compared with 20,435 in 1985 - and most are instigated by wives.

In Japan, retirement cuts off men from longtime office social networks, leaving them virtually friendless. Japanese wives say they are turned into servants. They develop physical ailments psychiatrists diagnose as stress-related "Retired Husband Syndrome."

Similar trends are hapening in USA as well. Many long-term relationships fall apart just at the time the couple has the freedom to enjoy each other the most.