Cougars and Their Cubs: Why Older Women Date Younger Men

Thanks to the reality show "The Cougar," the truth is now widely known. Women like younger men. I'm not talking about women in their 20s and 30s liking teenage boys, but mature women who want a little life in their men.

According to DatingThoughts.com: A cougar is "A woman aged 40 years or older who preys on younger men. During a hunt, she can often be spotted by her leopard print outfit, which makes her feel and look younger."

UrbanDictionary.com: "cougars - older women who like younger men."

In general, the term for the younger men in these cases is "cubs." Many of these young men are the same age or younger than the cougar's own children.

Why older women want to date younger men:

Younger men make an older woman feel young and attractive. It's a sign that she is not "over the hill," but still energetic, sexy, and young. She's usually spent most of her life married and raising children. She's looking for some fun and well-earned "Me Time."

Older men may have ex-wives, children, or other baggage. Young men are usually less encumbered, single, and looking for attention.

Some older women like to be in control of the situation, and enjoy having their younger man at their beck and call. Even if they are not live-in 'cubs,' they will try to satisfy their cougar's every desire.

Older women are looking and feeling better. They are healthy and physically fit. They want a more active lifestyle. Older men are looking for someone to take care of them as they grow older. They want to slow down and take life easy after years of working and supporting a family.

They no longer have to look for a man to take care of them. They have learned to be self-sufficient. They know how to balance the checkbook, and what needs to be paid when.

Why younger men date older women:

Young men find a lot of women their age are very immature. They don't know how to handle the curves life can throw at us. They are often just children in sexy adult bodies. The older woman has "been there, done that."

They find older women to be sexually mature, knowing what they like and don't like. They can often teach the cubs a few things.

The older women usually aren't looking for marriage. Or children. Most of the time the possibility of pregnancy is non-existent.

Older women can teach the young men a lot about life, drawing from their own experiences. The men then have some idea of how a woman works, so when they go looking for their mate, they have a clue as to what they want.

To many young men, it's just fun to be an older woman's "boy toy." They enjoy being shown off as if they were a trophy.

It is a well-known fact that men, when they reach middle-age, often try to appear younger. Okay, so we all do, but some men try to act like they are still in their 20's and 30's. Have you ever heard the phrase "middle-age crazy?" That usually refers to the man in his 40's who gets a 20-something girlfriend, a sports car, a new hairstyle, and a new wardrobe. We now call it "male menopause." For many years, it has been considered a somewhat normal behavior.

Why shouldn't women have the same chance to be middle-age crazy? We should be able to have the young boyfriend, sports car, new hairstyle and wardrobe. But a lot of women are still raising children while in their 40's, and worry about the kids' opinions of them. The same behavior that men engage in would be unacceptable for a woman.

So much for equality of the sexes.