10 Reasons Why Dating Is Harder For Older Women Part 2

why dating is harder for older women part 2

trigger warning

Reason # 1 ....Continued....

Reason # 1
There Are Less Men As A Generation Ages

As men and women get older, men die first. Statistically speaking women of any given generation outlive men. Which means the older a generational population gets, the more women will outnumber men. For a woman that is older and wants a relationship with a man her own age (or close to her own age), that means there is simply less supply of men available.

The reason that men don't live as long as women is the subject of much conjecture.

Some believe it is because that by in large, the most dangerous occupations are still dominated by males. Jobs in the military, defence, police, fire fighters, sewer works, construction, and other professions that carry a high mortality rate tend to have more men than women working them. Even in a time when women and men are free to choose and compete for the same professions, men still make up the majority of workers in professions that have higher fatality rates.

Others argue more social reasons such as men abuse their own bodies more and men take more risks (insurance premiums are usually higher for men and cite this as a reason). Also some men suffering challenges may feel shame for asking for help thus more men commit suicide instead of getting help for mental illness, or succumb to untreated illnesses of all types for lack of early detection. Then there are certain social attitudes of the lives of men being de-valued. For example, we can look at such notions of saving "women and children first" (the message is men are expendable), as well as family courts tend to assign custody to the mothers, and only visitation rights to the father (men matter less) instead of a straight across the board 50-50 shared custody. If the message of a society tells men that they just aren't as important, could that factor into the shorter lifespans for men?

One of the best-documented sources of this phenomenon comes in the experience of the “Surplus Two Million Women” of Great Britain. In World War 1 (WWI), an entire generation of men went to war and never came back. (Men are expendable soldiers). This left "the Surplus Two Million" women (as they came to be known) with the challenging odds of ever getting into a serious relationship with a man. Statistically, even if every remaining young single man and young single women were paired up after the war, only 1 out of every 10 women would end up married (in a serious relationship) and have children. This is what happened when nearly 750 000 British soldiers died in WWI, and almost as many soldiers were left incapacitated. At the time (early 1900s), single parenthood was not a societal accepted option, nor was having sex outside of marriage. Thus heartbreakingly, many of those young women in there 20s, faced a life of loneliness and spinsterhood, and some even entered forbidden secret lesbian relationships for companionship.

Then there are some studies that are simply looking at genetics as the culprit. These studies suggest that the differences between male and female chromosomes may influence how the genders age differently. If this is the case, then basically it indicates that by virtue of being born male, the male children are all destined to die before all the female children born the same day (assuming there are no birth anomalies or life ending accidents over the course of a given lifespan).

Depending on the studies presented, it is estimated that women can be expected to live anywhere from 3 yrs. to 7 yrs. longer. More recent statistics show that it is now closer to 5 years.

Now, let's add to that statistic, that the median age difference between men and women that get into serious relationships is that the men are two years older than the women. That is the median age gap. Which means that because women tend to marry/get into serious relationships with men that are at least 2 yrs. older (or more), and that women outlive men of the same age, it stands to reason that more women than men will end up single again due to widowhood.

Simply put, if you are an older woman and you are looking to have a serious relationship with a man close to your own age, or older, there simply are just less men for you to choose from. The older you get, the less supply is available to reach your demand.

Here are some stats from the Canada 2016 census, and an Organizational Behavior in Health Care textbook just as an example for discussion:

General population averages see 97 men for every 100 women overall.
However:

AGE: Under 25: 105 men for every 100 women
Furthermore men die before women do which leads to:

AGES: 25-54:         99 men for every 100 women
AGES: 55-64:         92 men for every 100 women
AGES: 65-85:        70 men for every 100 women
AGES: 85-99:        54 men for every 100 women

Another stat from 2003 says:

AGES: 85+:           41 men for every 100 women
AGES: 99+:           19 men for every 100 women

Here are some other stats from the “2002 Journal of Women’s Health” regarding seniors and age gaps:

AGES: 65-74:      79 men for every 100 women
AGES: 75-84:      67 men for every 100 women
AGES: 85+:          46 men for every 100 women

Among the population of nursing home residents, the gender ratios are even more dramatic:

AGES: 65-74:     75 men for every 100 women
AGES: 75-84: 41 men for every 100 women
AGES: 85+:         24 men for every 100 women

The numbers will fluctuate slightly from consensus, surveys and studies, but the message is consistent. The older a population, the less men that are available. To really understand the significance, the number of men includes those men that are still married/unavailable for dating women, men who are not interested in women, and men with health problems that may prevent them from being able to be in a loving relationship.

Let’s do a calculation using an older male demographic:

There are 75 men for every 100 women.

Of those 75 men, we eliminate all those men who are already involved with someone, men who are too ill to be in a relationship, and men that are just not interested in being in a relationship with women.

So now, while there are technically 75 men for every 100 women, there aren’t 75 emotionally available men who are eligible for these women to even date.

Now, let’s get to the next reason.

Reason # 2
Of the Men Left,
Fewer of Them Seek Serious Relationships
with Older Women

OK, so we explored the fact that there are fewer men alive.

Now let's consider the current social state of older men.