Why 50 Is a Dangerous Age for Awoman ; After Years of Prioritising Husbands and Families, Man Y Women Want More Out of Life As They Approach 50. The Urge to Find Personal Fulfilment Is Over Whelming - E Ven If It Means Ditching Security and Marriage Along the Way, Says Relationships Expert Dr Pam Spurr

Mail on Sunday › March 15, 2009

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Summary

Y our late 40s are supposed to be a time of calm and domesticity, aren't they? Time to heave a sigh of relief that the hard work of raising a family is behind you. The challenging years of teething and tantrums, packed lunches and the school run, door-slamming and being a late-night taxi service are over and you can enjoy some quality time with your husband at last.

But this cliche of domesticity may be well off the mark. Far from being a signal to settle down, for many women the looming landmark of 50 represents a danger point, when marriage and children no longer seem to hold the appeal they once did, and a heady cocktail of hormones kicks in to make you feel restless. I've seen friends and clients walk out on long-term relationships in search of new excitement, and a host of recent celebrity stories confirms this as a distinctly unpredictable stage of life.

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Why 50 Is a Dangerous Age for Awoman ; After Years of Prioritising Husbands and Families, Man Y Women Want More Out of Life As They Approach 50. The Urge to Find Personal Fulfilment Is Over Whelming - E Ven If It Means Ditching Security and Marriage Along the Way, Says Relationships Expert Dr Pam Spurr

Take the actress Kristin Scott Thomas, who, at the age of 44, was widely rumoured to have started an affair with Tobias Menzies, nearly 14 years her junior, while co-starring with him in a London production of Pirandello's As You Desire Me . There's nothing very unusual about an off-stage romance lasting for the duration of a play, but according to reports, Kristin left her husband Francois Olivennes - the father of her three children - to set up home with Tobias. Later, ...

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