Cougars' rise a no-brainer

IT'S true, most relationships between partners of unequal ages have a financial dimension, but there's also another dynamic at play – higher emotional and intellectual maturity of some men and women between the ages of 18 and 25, when compared to others.

It's these few who search in vain among their age group for a suitable partner and wind up finding one in the 35 to 48 age range instead.

Then there's also the matter of increased liberalisation of human sexuality, which has eased social restrictions on inter-age group dating.

Taking into account that men's sexual maturity peaks at 21-22 and women at 40-45, it was only a matter of time before "the rise of the cougar", as FHM put it once.

Do inter-age relationships cause problems? Yes. Women and men between 18-25 struggle to find others of their age who are interested in them.

The fact is most males and females in this group lack maturity and self-confidence, making courtships and relationships unnecessarily complicated. Considering all the hoops a young guy has to jump through with a woman his age, it's no wonder many become nervous wrecks suffering from "premature detonation" when the lights dim.

A relationship's foundation and parameters depend on the participants alone, assuming we are mature and open-minded enough not to condemn consenting adults who are not breaking any laws.

It's the 21st century. Things are changing, though not always for the better. Yes, those who look for young meat have to put up with the reality of empty wallets and modern smoke signals, but hey, love and sexual adventures haven't been free since the Stone Age- why be surprised it still costs today and independently wealthy women pay?

Anonymous