They say that age is just a number, and it seems that modern British women are happier than ever to marry men out of their own age range.
Relationships on Female First
New research from the think tank IPPR shows that the number of women married to men who are at least seven years older than themselves has almost doubled across generations since 1958.
One fifth of married women born between 1976-1981 are now partnered up with a man at least seven years their senior, whilst the number of women with husbands one or two years older than them has declined.
So what is it about older men that is drawing more women in? Dating and relationship coach Jonathan Welford believes that women are feeling the pressure to get things right the first time, and a man with those extra few years is likely to have proven himself as a good partner.
"Younger men do have the young stallion buff physical attraction" he says, but "an older man will be more established in career, finances and life."
He continues:
"Do you settle on a younger man who's yet to prove himself or go for someone with a track record? Due to time constraints (fertilitiy, goals of settling down) it's more often the chap with the proven track record that will win."
Whilst age ranges within relationships are more diverse, more couples are finding harmony in partners of the same social class. The research showed that, rather than 'marrying up', 56 per cent of women in the latest generation chose a man from the same social class as themselves.
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