Why do so many young women prefer to date older men? There's a scientific reason
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Jan 6, 2025, 6:32 PM ISTResearch reveals that younger women are naturally inclined to date older men—until they reach a point where practicality and future caregiving responsibilities take precedence.
Research reveals that younger women are naturally inclined to date older men—until they reach a point where practicality and future caregiving responsibilities take precedence. Studies show that women in their mid-20s typically prefer partners about 2.7 years older. However, as women age, this gap narrows. By the time they’re in their 60s and reenter the dating scene, many women prioritize partners closer to their age or younger, aiming to avoid the caregiving demands often associated with older partners.
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“Choosing a same-aged or younger partner after the age of 60 may allow women to postpone or avoid the caregiving burden and better maintain their emotional well-being,” researchers from University College Dublin explained, DailyMail reported.
For men, however, the trend moves in the opposite direction. DiCaprio, 50, currently dating 26-year-old model Vittoria Ceretti, exemplifies this tendency. As men age, their preference for younger partners increases. By their 60s, men are more likely to partner with women at least a decade younger, especially if they are affluent and not in long-term relationships.
“Men tend to initiate relationships with younger women, and the age difference tends to increase as they get older,” the research team stated. This trend, they speculate, is partly rooted in evolutionary biology, where youth signals fertility—a trait men are instinctively drawn to.
The study, published in Personal Relationships, analyzed data from 40,000 men and women over 50, tracking their long-term romantic history and the age gaps at the start of their relationships. On average, 25-year-old men dated women 2.9 years younger. As these men aged, the gap expanded by roughly a year every five years.
The findings also highlighted that wealthier men often seek younger partners to enhance their status. “Having a younger partner may signify prestige for older men,” the researchers noted.
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