New York Times Article

There was an interesting article in the New York Times last week (10/15/2009)regarding changes in the 'dating scene'. The title Rethinking the Older Woman-Younger Man Relationship talked of the 'loosening of relationship conventions' within the female baby boomers. Sociologists have stated that we are currently faced with the 'tightest marriage squeeze - the smallest pool of compatible men as conventionally defined - two to three years older, of similar background and higher levels of education and income.' Over the last few decades woman have delayed marriage to pursue careers but the men have still dated and married younger women.

The article goes on to qoute Sandra L. Caron, a professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine who states that woman are no longer looking for a man to take care of them, "That might be fine and dandy if you're in high school and have this fairy tale Prince Charming. But when you look at adult women, most are self-sufficient and they don't have to look for that." Her study published in the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy reports that couples believe their age difference matters more to the outside wold than to themselves. Nichole R. Proulx was the lead author of the study and said that she intially thought she would find more issues than she did but these May-December relationships are just like any others.

Researches at the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say that men 'consistently dislike older women' - but this study has yet to be published.

A number of sociologists are saying that this is a real demographical shift, 'driven by new choices that woman over 40 are making as they redefine the concept of a suitable mate.' Although the percentage of marriages of women who are 5 to 10 years older than their spouses is still small (5.4% and 1.3% respectively)these rates doubled between 1960 and 2007. Marriages between older men and younger women decreased steadily through 1980 but has remained stable since.

E. Linda Moore