Despite popular belief and a trove of fraught movie star relationships, heterosexual men are not only sexually interested in younger women.
A new study published in Evolutionary Psychology surveyed over 2,600 adults ages 18 to 50 in Finland (the study is limited as such) about their preferences. Researchers found women wanted slightly older sex partners, regardless of their own age, and men preferred women in their 20s. But contrary to previous assumptions, heterosexual male desire was not limited to younger women, thus excluding older women.
As women age, the pool of men in whom they are sexually interested remains relatively static in size, aging with them. Men, however, widen the pool of women in whom they are interested to include young women and women their own age. Their actual sex partners, however, do not generally represent that widening pool; older men rarely reported actual relations with younger women.
As the study noted, this supports the theory that women determine who they have relations with—their choice matters more. Though older men might express interest in younger women, those younger women are more likely to pursue sexual relationships with men within their own age range—give or take a few years.
