From a psychological point of view, marriages where the husband is older than his wife, even with a big age difference, are justified. After all, the age of “conscious paternity” comes only at 40 years – by this time, men really want children and treat them responsibly. In addition, for the child birth, the age of the father is less important than the age of the mother. A man can become a father at the age of 70 (Charlie Chaplin, for example, at 72, and his wife was 36 years younger), whereas the reproductive function of women begins to fade much earlier and the probability of baby’s pathology is higher if his mother is over 35 years.
If the wife is older than her husband, then the difference in two or three years can be neglected. Psychologists and sexologists consider if the difference between partners is much bigger, then such marriages are less stable. There are advantages in such family unions, both psychological and sexual, but over the years these advantages are leveled. As an example, Salvador Dali, who was 11 years younger than his wife Gala.
Even astrologers deal with age differences between partners advising how to find Ukrainian wife. For those who believe in the stars, there is a special Zoroastrian calendar that predicts both favorable factors and possible obstacles in marriage, depending on the age difference. And it does not matter which of the partners is older.
Statistics show that in Ukraine, 27% of marriages are between peers. Families, in which the wife is younger than her husband for up to 5 years are 33%. A man older than 6-10 years – 14% of cases, and a difference of more than 10 years – in 6% of marriages. In every fifth marriage, the wife is older than her husband, in 14% of cases the difference is up to 5 years, in 6% – more than 5 years.
Studies of scientists from different countries
A new study by Finnish scientists has proved that men of this country must marry women who are 15 years younger. This is important for having healthy and strong children who literally survived at least 18 years of age.
The scientists of Sweden showed that it is better for men to seek a wife who is 6 years younger. This, according to the Swedes, is the ideal age difference between a man and a woman.
The scientists from the United States said that the ideal age difference for a happy marriage is one year. They noted that under this condition, the risk of divorce is only 3%. Scientists argue that the greater the age difference between spouses, the more divorces happen. In particular, in their opinion, couples with a difference in age of five years can lose a family in 18%, ten years – 39%. The couples with a difference at the age of 20 years have the greatest risk of divorce. According to experts, they can lose a family in 95% of cases.
Chinese sages even derived a formula for calculating the ideal age of the bride. The age of the man has to be divided by 2 and added to the result of 7. That is, if the man is 30, his bride must be 22, and if the man is 60, then the woman is 37. As you can see, the age difference between the spouses in these cases is 8 years and 23 years respectively. The Chinese did not even consider the option, when the bride is older than the groom.
But the British scientists don’t support the difference of 23 years. Studies conducted by them showed that the age difference between spouses over 15 years leads to a decrease in life expectancy. This effect is caused by a state of constant stress, in which the couple resides because of the condemnation of others.
Researchers from Australia consider the ideal difference is 5 years, but again, if the husband is older than his wife. According to their calculations, most children are born in such marriages.
Researchers in Ukraine have concluded that it is better to date with peers. The percentage of such unions in Ukraine is more than 27%.
If you believe the scientists, the optimal difference in families will be when the husband is older than his wife for up to 5 years or younger for 2-3 years. If you do not fit into this formula, but love each other, don’t pay attention to the others’ opinions – and you will also have the ideal age difference.
Ideal age difference with Ukraine ladies
The age of a man is much less important than the age of a woman. With age, the natural process of a gradual decrease in the sex hormones synthesis of men, as well as women, begins (the main one is the male sex hormone – testosterone). Usually the beginning of the “male menopause,” falls on the interval between 45 and 60 years. However, a decrease in reproductive capacity doesn’t mean its immediate and complete extinction at all.
The optimal reproductive age of Ukraine ladies, from a medical point of view, is 20-35 years. Until 20 years the body of a woman can’t be considered fully formed, as often it is not ready to endure a global hormonal and physiological reconstruction associated with pregnancy. At the age of 35 years begins a natural decline in female reproductive function.
However, it’s not just a matter of reducing the probability of conception. Unfortunately, after 35-40 years a woman has a significantly increased probability of conceiving a child with genetic pathology (the most known and common of them is Down’s syndrome). The mechanism of this phenomenon has not yet been elucidated. Nevertheless, thanks to modern means of prenatal diagnostics and the latest achievements of medicine in the field of pregnancy, the age line of women bearing and giving birth to healthy children rises literally before our eyes.
To answer your question: “Is there an ideal age difference for a couple?” we can say that there is probably no perfect difference. All the described patterns don’t matter at all if people have a great relationship, feel good with each other and they are happy. So the main thing is for the two to be well together.
Anyway, any marriage, regardless of the age difference, depends only on the desire of the spouses to find a common language, from their desire for mutual understanding. In the end, it can’t be unequivocally asserted that a single-age marriage is good, and a different age is bad. If the aspirations and goals of the spouses are combined during their life together, then their marriage can be no less, or even happier, than the marriage of peers. In the case if each of the spouses has such tasks in their marriage, and mutually exclusive, then, most likely, there will be problems.