Appearing as the perfect Washington couple with a 40-year long marriage since being high school sweethearts, Al Gore and Tipper Gore have decided to call it quits.

“After a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate,” the Gores wrote in an e-mail to friends on June 1st. “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together.” Gore spokeswomen Kalee Kreider confirmed the statement came from the Gores, but declined to comment further.

Al Gore once claimed his romance with wife Tipper had inspired the novel “Love Story”, but now the Gores say they have grown separate lives according to Yahoo News.

Some have speculated that Al Gore was having or had an affair:

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   divorcesecrets Al Gore Affair – The Reason for Tipper Gore & Al Gore’s Divorce? http://bit.ly/d3r0Uf 06 Jun 2010 from twitterfeed

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The Gores have maintained that there was no affair involved in their decision to separate and that their decision was mutually supportive.

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   Buzztab New blog post: Al Gore denies any affair behind his divorce http://www.buzztab.com/politics/al-gore-denies-affair-divorce/ 02 Jun 2010 from Twitter Tools
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   contentengine Al Gore Affair? Friends Address Speculation After Al And Tipper Gore Separate http://bit.ly/bt9KaH 05 Jun 2010 from Ping.fm

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According to a blog article in the New York Times, “Divorce: It’s Not Always About You”, separating after a long marriage may not be so uncommon these days. As the baby boomer generation ages towards retirement, couples are finding it harder to stay together.

According to recent Census Bureau data, 8 percent of divorced couples had been had married for 30 to 50 years. “Compared with the rest of the married population, these couples divorce at one-quarter the rate of those who have been married for fewer years.”

Two developments, culture and biological, have provided reason as to why the baby boomer generation is more likely to divorce after decades of marriage. Culturally, people now want a marriage that promotes their personal fulfillment. Biologically, people are living longer.

The baby boomer generation is healthier and wealthier than any generation before, giving them the opportunity to seek out more in life. Sometimes, this new passion results in divorce, not only a divorce from ones spouse but a divorce from one life to begin another with the means to afford it.

Many children of the baby boomer generation feel much differently about divorce after so many years together. After studying children growing up with divorce or gender-line blurs, Kathleen Gerson found that 95 percent of both women and men (including gays and lesbians) hope to create a collaborative, mutually supportive relationship that stands the test of time.

Many have been shocked by the recent Al Gore and Topper Gore separation. Some remain hopeful for a long and fulfilling marriage, while others feel disgruntled that if the Gores couldn’t make it work, then who could?

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   xoxohockeygirl Al Gore wow….i have to wonder why the split? an affair? no love? not straight? regardless it’s sad to see a marriage of 40 years end! 02 Jun 2010 from web
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   fivedirections Re: Al and Tipper Gore…Time for anthropologists to take a look at the institute of marriage? http://ht.ly/1UQC8 07 Jun 2010 from HootSuite
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   alkalinity Researchers Study Brain Scans for Insight to Marriage – LAKE IDYLLIn 2000, Tipper and Al Gore gave no sign of probl… http://ht.ly/17DUnU 07 Jun 2010 from HootSuite
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   wendyrawley They break up, we suffer: Al and Tipper Gore don’t owe us a thing, but still: If their marriage couldn’t last, wha… http://bit.ly/cAsxtZ 07 Jun 2010 from twitterfeed

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