Relationships in which an older woman has a significantly younger male partner have attracted a lot of media attention over the years. For example, remember what big news it was when Demi Moore married Ashton Kutcher, who was 15 years her junior? Or perhaps you remember the international media obsession surrounding the relationship between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, who is 24 years his senior?
You may have recently heard of the reality show MILF Manor, where young guys date each other's moms.
This much attention is usually not applied in relationships where the men are older.
The double standard of the age gap
Research finds that people are more disapproving of male-female age-gap couples when the older partner is a woman. In these cases, it is again the women who are judged the most.
In light of this double standard and social disapproval, what does the research tell us about the quality of women's relationships with younger men?
In a study of 200 women, what was found was that women who were more than 10 years older than their male partners were actually the most satisfied and committed to their relationships, compared to women who were older. younger than their partners, as well as with women whose partners were close in age.
In other words, despite the stigma, women in these relationships seemed to thrive.
Why does this happen?
Why were older women more satisfied? There are several possibilities. For example, it could be because when the woman is older, it shifts the power dynamic towards equality. Greater equality in a relationship tends to make couples happier.
In addition to equality, happiness can also be associated with a more dominant and powerful position for women. This can make things interesting in the bedroom too.
In short, the results of the study suggest that while age-gap couples may face a lot of social resistance, this does not necessarily prevent them from developing strong and highly satisfying relationships.
