While the idea of a cougar, or older woman dating younger men, has become a social norm, what about older men dating younger women? The very idea tends to have negative connotations of young women being taken advantage of by older men, but that is certainly not commonplace. In fact, I would argue that there are at least five good reasons why older men should consider dating younger women.
- Expectations
If you are in your forties, dating women your own age will often come laden with expectations that may not meet your own. These women tend to be looking for a quicker turn-around from dating to the altar than their younger counterparts. With no serious long term plans on the horizon, your expectations are more likely to line up with those of a younger woman.
- Math
Men like to see the numbers, good hard data, before making a decision. When it comes to women who are available to date, they are more likely to be in their 20s and 30s. Finding a single woman to match your own age, if you are in your 40s or 50s, is going to present a challenge. It makes sense to widen the pool a little bit.
- Maturity
Let’s face it. Women tend to be more mature than men, at any age. Though we first notice it in junior high when girls are looking down their noses at the “little boys” they are forced to sit next to, it doesn’t end there. A younger woman is going to be entertained by your fun date ideas that may leave a woman your own age rolling her eyes. You can show the “real you” and have fun doing silly things together without judgment.
- Baggage
Simply, younger women have less of it. While it is not necessarily fair to expect the woman you date to have less skeletons in the closet than you have, life is certainly less stressful if you don’t both have crazy ex’s and family drama to deal with. Obviously, a woman in her 40s or 50s is more likely to have been married and have experienced divorce or death of a spouse. A woman in her 20s or 30s may not have previous spouses or children. They’ve also had less time to become cynical about dating.
- Ego
This goes both ways. The younger woman dating an older man gains the advantages of his greater experience, knowledge, and usually earning potential. The older men dating younger women is reassured that he’s still “got it.”
