Age-hypogamy, emotional intelligence, sexual self-efficacy, and subjective happiness associations

Abstract

Research examining age-gap relationships is sparse, particularly on women who date younger men. Using a content analysis consisting of non-parametric statistical analysis, we investigated age-hypogamy (with male partners approximately 7–10 years younger) and age homogamy with levels of emotional intelligence (E.I.), sexual self-efficacy (SSE), and subjective happiness (S.H.). Twenty-four women were recruited via social media platforms. Seventeen women in age-hypogamy relationships had a mean age = 45.86 years (SD = 4.47), and seven women in age-homogamy relationships had a mean age = 42.34 years (SD = 9.04) with an age range for both groups between 25 and 57 years. Results suggested that age-hypogamy relationships scored higher on levels of E.I., S.H., and SSE when compared to women in age-homogamy relationships. Since SSE, E.I., and S.H. are associated with fulfilling intimate relationships, this study questions the preconceived notion that age-hypogamy relationships are any less fulfilling or successful than those in age-homogamy relationships. Future research among a larger and more diverse cohort in age gap relationships is needed to confirm the unique qualities of this population.

Lay Summary

Society tends to view women who date younger men more critically than older men who date younger women. There needs to be more research in the literature looking at older women who date younger men, and we wanted to understand more about the qualities of these women compared to women who date men of a similar age group. “Cougar” is often used to describe a woman who exclusively dates men at least 7–10 years younger. In a sample of 24 women, 17 women were dating men approximately ten years younger than themselves, and 7 were in similar age-similar relationships. We compared these groups with levels of emotional intelligence (E.I.), sexual self-efficacy (SSE), and subjective happiness (S.H.). We found that “Cougars” had higher scores among these measures than women in age-matched dating groups. Since SSE, E.I., and S.H. are associated with fulfilling intimate relationships, this study questions the preconceived notion that women in relationships with younger men are any less fulfilling or successful than those in similar relationships. We argue that further research is needed to understand the age gap in dating among couples, including the development of suitable interventions that extend to sexuality and relationship-diverse individuals.

Keywords:

• Age-hypogamy
• age-homogamy
• emotional intelligence
• sexual self-efficacy
• subjective happiness
• content analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).