She’s Much Younger than He: Can they Succeed?
Friends and family will scoff at the relationship you are developing with a younger woman, which is probably why you have not told them yet. You do not want them to look at you like you are a fool. You do not want to hear that she is just after your money. You certainly do not want to see them look at you like you are sad and pathetic.
Most likely, they will be wrong on all counts. If you are falling for a woman who is a decade or so your junior, there is really nothing at all wrong with that, provided the relationship you are building is based on mutual love and respect. This holds true for any relationship, and while others may not believe it, it is absolutely possible for you to forge a relationship like this with a younger woman. In fact, the equation for a feasibly successful relationship states that a woman may be up to 2/3 of the man’s age minus 6. This means that a man of 63 could date a woman as young as 36.
Statistics are on your Side
If you are having doubts, take a look at what we know about men and women. We know that men have a shorter life expectancy than women do. This makes it difficult for older women to find healthy men and thus opens their minds to less conventional relationships, such as one with an older man. We also know that men are physically capable of fathering children much longer than women are able to get pregnant. These two factors make a relationship with a large age gap between man and woman statistically feasible.
Add to this the tendency for women to mature faster than men; this fact often leads women to seek a man who is an equal in maturity and behavior, as opposed to an equal in age. This leads her to an older man.
Today in the United States, over 40% of all marriages end in divorce. This statistic is true for marriages of all age ranges. When marriages overall are failing at such a rate, there is no reason to believe that a relationship between a man and a younger woman has any less chance of success than any other.
Build a Solid Bond
The secrets to a successful relationship are truly no different for a couple with a large age gap than they are for anyone else. The relationship must first be built around love and respect. These are of paramount importance. Next, the individuals in the couple should have some common interest or passion, or have an understanding and empathy for those of one another. These are necessary for any relationship to get off the ground.
Communication is a necessary piece of the puzzle as well, and it is very important in the case of an older man and a younger woman. Even if the two of you are exceedingly confident in one another’s love and devotion, concerns are going to arise. He will wonder if she still finds him attractive; she will wonder if he wishes he were with someone her own age. The comments and opinions of those around them will not help. It is up to the two of them to keep these worries and concerns out in the open so they do not fester and they are dealt with as they arise.
I think that as long as you have something in common and get along well, go for it. Don’t worry so much about age, it’s just a number, enjoy your life.