Does age difference matter?

Age differences have never been uncommon in relationships. This used to happen often when girls were married to older men because of their material wealth and ability to support their families. Now, the popularity of such an “unequal” union is influenced by freedom of choice and many other factors. It is not uncommon that a woman, on the contrary, is older than a man. Let us consider in the article why this happens, why people choose those who are younger / older than them or are the same age, the pros and cons of such unions, as well as the most important question - does the age difference matter?

Peers

This type of relationship is considered the most common. It’s easiest to meet peers: at school or any other educational institution, often at work, among acquaintances and friends. Such unions have significant advantages:

• Partners understand each other better.
• Often there is something to talk about, because peers are usually at the same life stages. For example, couples, both of whom are studying at a university, can discuss pressing matters of study, help each other, understand, etc.
• There may be a sense of how you “grow” together and develop spiritually with each year of relationship.
• It’s easier to introduce your partner to your friends, as they, as a rule, are also of the same age.
• Such relationships are ideal for partnership type alliances.
  

But there are also disadvantages. In such unions, due to immaturity, a man and a woman can bother each other and disperse without seeing a way out. At the same time, an older person who has already gone through a lot, and crises in relationships, including, can steer their soul mate in the right direction, understand what to do in a given situation, and cement relations. Another minus is peers treat their love as an equal. This, of course, is in most cases the advantage of this type of alliance, however, when equality is felt, then in the case of quarrels, often everyone believes that his point of view is the most correct. Whether such people will find a compromise or not depends on what kind of characters they have.

If a man is older

Such relationships are also not uncommon. Society takes it very favorably if the age difference between a man and a woman is no more than 10-15 years. Such marriages can be very durable. Young girls are still inexperienced and free (unmarried), and men 10 years older already have life experience behind them, stable work and independence from parents and friends, they are also ready to start a family. For the female half of humanity, choosing a partner older than yourself has advantages. For example, you can create a family with them and not think about the fact that you need to "wait a little more" to save money for it together, since the stronger sex is already able to support the family. Also with such partners, many of the girls allow themselves to be "weaker", inexperienced, as there is always someone who will support.

But men see the advantages of relationships with ladies younger, because they seem to them not yet troubled by life, they have a sparkle in their eyes and, of course, youth and beauty. Even with a small difference in age, cavaliers of such women are perceived as one who is younger, and therefore healthier. Of course, this does not mean that peers are worse, rather the opposite. However, younger girls, to be frank, are easier, even if there is no work, property and other things behind their backs, because they still perceive older men as more experienced.

Pros of such marriages:

• Convenience by age, because girls want to start a family early and are ready, and their peers at this time still do not think about it, and those who are older have already managed to “walk up” and are eager to settle down.
• Sometimes it’s easier to compromise, because partners are often inferior and accept the point of view of their soul mates.
• Another plus arising from the previous paragraph is that many men think that it’s easier for a girl younger than them to “blind” them.

Minuses:

• However, in cases where a half is much older than a woman (more than 20 years old), then there is almost a clash of two different generations. It is already more difficult to understand each other, there may be different interests.
• A man may not take the girl’s opinion seriously.
• Sometimes there is not love, but mercantile spirit. It is worth considering this.
• If the intimate components of the relationship are important to you, then, unfortunately, the peak of female sexual activity falls on 30 years, but the male force begins to fade after a certain age.
• It is worth considering that a man may want to arouse the envy of his friends, boasting about his young wife. The age difference in this case is his choice to be wealthy in the eyes of society. But such cases are rare.

Woman older than man

The age difference when a guy is younger is also not a rarity these days. Older women seem more experienced, they already know what they want from life and relationships, often they are more interesting due to their broader horizons, they already have work and the ground under their feet. They are also very well versed in the male half of humanity and understand them.

Everyone, even a man who has achieved a lot, sometimes wants to be infantile in a relationship, and such unions are very favorable for this. Plus, the intimate side of the relationship in such cases is very bright: the lady is experienced and already more sexually liberated. There are, of course, disadvantages. If the age difference is large, then society may begin to push, but this is rarely the case. Often such pressure is a signal not of the need to end the relationship, but of the need to change the circle of communication, because if the relationship is good and everything suits you, then you should not follow the opinion of friends.

Perfect age difference

A lot of research has been done on relationships. Many psychologists say: the ideal age difference between partners is when a man is 3-7 years older than a woman. It is believed that girls are morally older than men, especially in terms of desire and willingness to start a family. And men settle down a little later, and also gain independence and stability in work, and this is also enough to start a serious relationship.

Big difference in age

Why do people enter into relationships with those who are older / younger than them by 20-30 or more years? No one will answer for sure. These are probably those cases when all ages are submissive to love. But such couples should follow some recommendations in order to maintain a relationship:

• Do not pay attention to criticism if the relationship suits both and there is love.
• Those who are much older should never tell their young half that they are inexperienced and insolvent. And those who, on the contrary, are younger, are not advised to talk about their partner that he is old. It is better not to pay any attention to age and age-related changes, since sooner or later this will happen to everyone.
• Relations should be fun, not an inferiority complex.
• Strive for maximum mutual understanding, accept the interests of the partner, given that they can vary greatly.
  

Factors Affecting Choice

Many psychologists identify the reasons why people fall in love with their unequal. Firstly, for many, the family may unknowingly be the prototype of ideal relationships. If the parents had a marriage in which there was a big age difference, then it is likely that the children will also unknowingly want to realize just such a model. Secondly, relations in a person’s family and his childhood also influence. For example, if a daughter grew up without a father, or he was, but did not pay due attention to her, then she probably would like a “father-daughter” relationship to make up for this with a man older than himself.

Vivid examples

Among stellar or simply famous couples, there is often an age difference.

• For example, the famous actor Al Pacino is 40 years older than his chosen one Lucila Sola.
• Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford are a famous couple. Meanwhile, they are already separated by 23 years.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones is 25 years younger than Michael Douglas.
• Hugh Jackman and Deborah Lee Furness are a good example of a long and lasting relationship. Although Deby is 13 years older than him, they look great together and love each other.
  

Instead of a conclusion

So does age difference still matter? Perhaps not if both people love each other and are happy together. And the pros and cons can always be, regardless of how much the partner is younger or older. Couples with age differences can be very happy. Here the nature of people rather than the numbers in the passport is more likely to affect.