Relationships between older women and younger men are receiving more attention as dating norms shift, according to Tammy Nelson, a Los Angeles-based sexologist and relationship therapist who spoke with Fox News Digital. Nelson said she has encountered women her age who date or feel attracted to younger men.
Available surveys and research offer some context, but do not show conclusively that these relationships are increasing. A 2023 Bumble poll of 26,849 dating-app users in more than 20 countries found that 59% of women were more open to dating someone younger, and 35% said they had become less judgmental about age gaps.
A 2025 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined attraction after blind dates among adults ages 22 to 85. It found that men and women were, on average, slightly more attracted to younger partners. The study focused on initial attraction, not whether participants formed lasting relationships. Lead author Paul Eastwick, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, said in a university news release that women’s preferences during the dates revealed a more complicated picture than a simple preference for younger partners.
A separate 2024 analysis of nearly 36,000 couples in 29 European countries found that women’s tendency to partner with slightly older men shifted toward same-age partners as they got older. Taken together, the research may indicate that conventional patterns are not absolute, but it does not demonstrate a definitive rise in older women dating younger men.
Nelson suggested that some women become more comfortable with their sexuality as they age and less focused on other people’s judgments. She also said, based on conversations with age-gap couples, that younger men may appreciate feeling able to communicate their sexual needs. Those observations reflect the therapist’s experience, rather than a finding established by the cited studies.
The source also cited a 2026 Ashley Madison survey in which 45% of the dating site’s female members said they reached their sexual prime at age 40 or older. The finding describes responses from that site’s members and should not be taken as representative of all women.
Life circumstances can also affect how couples approach a relationship, Nelson said. Some older women may be entering a period after raising children, and younger partners may feel less pressure around marriage, she suggested. She described some couples as participating as equal partners.
Nelson cautioned that age-gap couples can face practical differences, especially when considering a shared future. She identified life stage, caregiving responsibilities and finances as potential sources of tension. Couples may also differ on marriage, having children, retirement and other long-term plans.
Cultural references can create smaller points of friction. Nelson said a partner might not share the other person’s familiarity with older music or events, while noting that differences can also give couples opportunities to exchange perspectives, music and interests.
Her broader message was that intimacy and desire do not necessarily end at a particular age. The report’s research, however, addresses dating attitudes, initial attraction and patterns among couples; it does not establish a universal explanation for why younger men are attracted to older women or predict the outcomes of those relationships.
