“HE’S MORE OPEN-MINDED.”

Faith was married at a young age and her husband was only seven years her senior, but she describes him as “a generation ahead in values.” He expected her to fulfill traditional gender roles — and despite the fact that she had a law degree, he didn’t want her to work outside of the home. “He wasn’t controlling, but it was always a point of contention. He had his (sexist) preferences and I had mine,” she explains. “Now that we’re divorced, I find I’m attracted to younger men because they’re just more open-minded. Topics that were controversial with my husband and his friends — gay marriage, open relationships, kinky sex — are just the norm with these guys, so I can really be myself.”

“I LOVE THAT WE’RE SO DIFFERENT.”

Women who date younger men believe that their divergent lifestyles further strengthen their relationships even if they’re at different stages of life. Maureen is a single mom with two kids. Her boyfriend is a blogger who travels often. She believes their differences are a source of strength. “I’m at home with the kids and he’s off traveling the world. Sometimes I go with him, but I really enjoy living vicariously through his travels. And he likes coming home to stability and comfort. I’m only six years older, but our lifestyles are worlds apart and I think it’s why we’re still together. We balance each other out.” Some of us may see these stages of life differences as a source of potential relationship strife, but many couples are leveraging these disparities to their advantage as evidence that there is no universal path to relationship success.