Can love span an age gap?
A last grasp at a lost youth or is it true romance?
Despite an overall change in attitude, there are still people who possess the
old social double standard about what is acceptable for a man not being
acceptable for a woman. This is the reason why some still find it surprising
to see an older woman dating a much younger man. Going but not quite gone are
the days when such women were labelled cradle-snatchers, cougars or even child
molesters! Nowadays, women who believe in equality would not suffer this old
double-standard argument. They would argue that if the man were the older one in
the couple, the age gap would be socially acceptable and not deemed to pose a
problem.
Although the concept of an age gap in a relationship is still deemed newsworthy,
it does have in its favour a number of factors, not least the influence of the
media, where successful celebrity relationships with significant age-gaps have
been in the public eye.
There are a number of celebrity couples with a 15-year bridge between their
ages, who have enjoyed 25 or more years of happiness in their marriage. They
prove that it is no longer bad taste, nor is it taboo for a person to date
younger people. Such relationships are often referred to as May-December
affairs.
Women in May-December affairs are not as desperate as many people would want to
believe. They are simply in romantic relationships and have a no-holds-barred
perception to dating. Such women refuse to draw boundaries for themselves and go
after whatever and whomever they desire. They usually opt for young active men
with oodles of vigour.
These women are generally still sexually active and deny the old maxim; that
women above the age of 40 ‘don’t get as much’. They perceive this as better for
them than mourning at home over ex-husbands who have landed younger and more
attractive women. They also hold the belief that love is timeless, ageless, and
holds true to the popular tune ‘age ain’t nothin' but a number’.
Nonetheless, there are people who believe that such relationships are doomed to
end sooner or later, as generational differences crop up and the couple are most
likely to part ways.
An older male could become frustrated when a young woman frequently desires to
go out partying. If he joined her, all he would get for his troubles are some
strange looks from the other partygoers and a thumping headache.
A younger woman might also end up becoming financially dependent and lose
focus in her life as she relaxes in the financial sanctuary provided by an older
man. It must be a real concern that one day the man will lose l his vitality and
no longer be physically satisfying to the woman. There must also be the very
real fear that an older man and his ailments will become a burden in the not too
distant future.
May-December flings are also prone to embarrassing or ill-considered comments
from third parties such as questions like "Is that your daughter?" when the lady
concerned is really your partner.
The standard assumption is that the younger partner must be after money and
the older partner after sexual gratification sadly often has some founding.
Assuming, though, that this is not the case and that the reason the two people
are together is based on genuine love and affection then there is no reason why
a relationship cannot survive the age gap.
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