Four Reasons Why Men Love Younger Women

Though Glamour's dating blogger Ryan Dodge is a fan of older women, he concedes that many men are equally enthusiastic about younger ladies…sometimes much younger! Here, four reasons why some men pursue younger women.

Happy June! More importantly, happy Ryan's-Dating-Sabbatical-Is-Over! I don't have any dates lined up yet, but that's OK because one of my romantic resolutions is to go with the flow. The only real prospect on my horizon is an attractive young lady who messaged me on Nerve a few days ago. I would probably reply if it weren't for one crucial detail:

She's 21. To put that in perspective, when I was a senior in high school she was a sixth grader (which is the official yard stick for measuring age differences in the dating world). To be honest, I don't think I could get over such a significant age gap, which definitely puts me in the male minority. I know tons of guys who only have eyes for significantly younger women. What is it they like so much about younger women? Here are a few ideas:

1. Bridging the Maturity Gap. I don't feel like I'm betraying my gender by conceding that women — in general — mature faster than men. For guys my age who aren't looking for a serious relationship, there's an obvious appeal to foregoing their marriage-minded female peers and hooking up with a younger woman who's still sowing her wild oats.

2. Who's Your Daddy? We can argue for days about whether society or biology is to blame, but the fact is that most men take great satisfaction in playing the role of breadwinner and protector. Younger women are more likely to give us the benefit of the doubt and interpret our ramblings as hard-earned wisdom.

3. Ego Trippin'. I haven't yet reached the point where my body starts breaking down (although my hangovers are way worse recently), but when that day arrives I'm sure nothing would make me feel better than the attention of an attractive young lady who prefers me to her more virile male peers.

4. Men Are Pigs. You already know I find older women extremely attractive, and I'm certainly not the only one. But it's simply a fact of nature that there are certain physical, um, perks to dating younger women.

Never fear, what's good for the goose is good for the gander — check out these celebrity women who date younger men. And here's a handy trick for figuring out if a guy is too old for you.