Middle-aged men are enjoying great popularity amongst younger Japanese women, with some 40% of women preferring older men, and 20% of these only being interested in men at least 10 years older than them, with men in their forties being particularly popular.
Observers speculate that this may be due to the “manly aura” of such older men as compared to the effete younger generations, and of course that women know that the Japanese pay structure vastly favours older men.
When asked “Do you prefer your lover to be older or younger?” most women (40%) in their twenties responded “older,” not itself an unexpected result.
However, the extent of their preference for older men is perhaps surprising: 20% wanted men at least 10 years older than them, whilst 38.2% wanted older men up to 9 years their senior. 26.5% did not have any preference regarding age.
Predictably, most men in their forties after younger women weren’t picky, with 47.4% not caring about how much younger their partner is.
When asked about their actual experience with dating, 48.4% of young women had dated older men, whilst 60.4% of men in their forties reported experience dating younger women.
The survey did not ask for the reasons respondents displayed these preferences, but a marriage counsellor discretely mentions what may be the main reason:
“Women start becoming conscious of marriage after the age of 25, and they start to become realistic about romance too. When they think about having and rearing children, very few women actually want to keep working at the same pace for the rest of their life.”
Considering the pitiful birth rates Japan enjoys, possibly their interest in having children is being overstated; however, it is undeniable that Japanese men enjoy their peak earnings in their forties and fifties, and it is well established that a great many female marriage seekers have no interest in working…
A female author delving into this preference offers another interesting interpretation, saying this may be a reaction against the unmanliness of younger men, with women preferring more masculine partners only finding satisfaction in much older men.
Sex is, she says, “a very important factor,” and compared to younger “herbivorous” men these older men are more likely to be “carnivorous” and to have a “manly aura.”
Perhaps more pointedly, just what is to become of all these unwanted young men in their twenties, with their low incomes and “lack of experience” or “lack of manliness”? A growing proportion of these seem to be becoming “middle-aged virgins“…
They asked loaded questions.
18 and having sex with a 30-year old?
Freakin delicious.
This is actually very normal. While I am no expert in the field, I have studied a bit on human evolution and came across an explanation for such behavior. Since women were often subjugated by men in most ancient (and, unfortunately, some modern societies), it only made sense to choose older mates who were more financially sound and have proven themselves as productive members of societies than younger mates who could still go either way. As such, this behavior has continued to propagate in human female mating as such tactics are adaptive and help ensure the survival of both the woman and her offspring. This is why many women in America tend to marry younger men since they no longer are reliant on their man for financial support. This also explains another interesting development in the American dating scene as many older, accomplished business women are often found in relationships with younger men which mirrors many older business men.
To further elaborate on why women see older men as preferable mates, from an evolutionary perspective of course, is that women seek out men who are either capable of making somatic investments or are in physical good health or, of course, somewhere in the middle of both. An older man is capable of putting in a larger somatic investment as they are likely in good standings with their work and tend to be less ambitious. In other words, older men are more likely to spend time with their families. Physically, most older men are usually still in good standings with their health and are capable of fathering healthy children.
I don’t know about Japanese otaku, but I’m only 20 and I would commit to a marriage and provide my wife with (almost) everything she could ask for. But considering the rate of women cheating in Japan, there’s more than one party at fault here.
That ‘manly aura’ rapes elementary aged children. ’nuff said.