I am in the man's age range, but I can't speak for everyone. I like younger women mainly because I am a lot healthier than women closer to my age and I have a different set of values than most. Most older people my age are set in their ways. Some younger people are more open to look at something different from the mainstream "go with the flow". But I still want the woman to be able to be independant and think for herself. So for me it is hard to consider the average woman under 30 from anything other than an avuncular viewpoint. I want them to succeed, I want them to be strong, I want them to grow, but its hard for me to see them as a partner unless they have already done a lot of the above. You are probably not going to find someone 18 who has done a lot of this, so an 18-year old is probably looking for a father-figure to lean on. She may be afraid of the idea of standing on her own-- of being independant. At least you could say it is not a great ambition for her. If you do find someone who has done a lot of independant stuff and are only 18 they are probably going to have a lot more opportunities closer to their age, and really I would encourage them to take them. There are a lot of things against such a match, including cultural values, social pressure, not having things in common, so unless you have a LOT of positive stuff to overcome the negatives I would skip it.

good answers, thank you

true love is blind to age. Picasso died at 91 in 1973. His wife Jacqueline was 46 at the time, 45 years younger. For all of the cynics who believe she married for money, note that she was devastated and lonely after his death and took her own life by gunshot 13 years later in 1986 when she was 59 years old.

It depends on the circumstances. It's possible. The ma's friend's will envy him and their wives may resent the young bride with whom they wouldn't have much in common. I have seen this happen to one of my friends. He married for the second time. At 18, a woman hasn't had any tertiary education and later may regret it or not travelling or meeting men her own age. The couple's tastes in music, clothes and opinions would most likely be different. As the couple get older, the wife may become a young widow with small children and be in financial difficulties. Or she may end up being a nurse to her husband who has had a heart attack or stroke. But as Craig said, what if the roles were reversed? Not many 18 year old men would marry a 55 year old woman.