- Avarna Jain,
Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media
This New Age Gap Study Claims Women, Too, Prefer Younger Partners
Love has no rules or formula!
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have an age gap of 10 years between them...Getty Images
The age gap in relationships has been a hot topic of conversation for years. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it natural for men to prefer a partner who is more than a decade younger than them? The raging debates and conversations around the subject have brought forth a neat conclusion that men prefer younger women as a partner, and women tend to go for older and well-settled men, thanks to evolution.
As reprehensible as it sounds, it is traditionally believed that men are subconsciously drawn to the reproductive abilities of younger women, while women tend to gravitate towards older men because of their ability to provide resources and status. These are just some of the stereotypes that have come to define gender dynamics in relationships over the years. However, a new study has discovered that men and women prefer younger partners.
Does an age gap in a relationship matter? As it turns out, not so much!Pexels
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, analysed 4,500 blind dates and discovered that when it comes to real-life relationships, how people actually feel is far different from what they think they want.
For the research, the team partnered with matchmaking service Tawkify to analyse participants on how age impacted attraction in real time. Through a speed dating event, these participants, belonging to a diverse age range, were made to interact with each other. Before the event, the participants had reported an age range they thought they were interested in, but their preferences changed on the actual date.
The study concluded that even if the men and women in the participant group stated their preference for a certain age range, they changed their minds and chose a younger partner for themselves, but only when they interacted with them.
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In their paper titled May-December Paradoxes: An Exploration of Age-Gap Relationships in Western Society by Justin J. Lehmiller and Christopher R. Agnen, the authors noted that couples with an age-gap reported a deeper relationship satisfaction than couples who are close or equal in age.
With the percentage of women in the workforce increasing all around the world, resulting in them being paid more or equal to their male counterparts, women no longer prioritise ‘the ability to provide’ as a quality in a potential partner.
The best of relationships are based on chemistry, compatibility and shared values. A fixed formula cannot dictate attraction. So while age gap in relationships might bring up challenges, especially when it’s an older woman with a younger man, it shouldn’t be a barrier. Take this as a sign to unlearn what you’ve been conditioned to believe!
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