Age difference does matter in marriage. Men and women both report greater marital satisfaction with younger spouses, but that satisfaction fades over time, research finds.
Men who are married to younger wives are the most satisfied, and men who are married to older wives are the least satisfied. Women are also particularly dissatisfied when they’re married to older husbands and satisfied if they’re married to younger husbands.
Over time, the people who are married to a much older or younger spouse tend to have larger declines in marital satisfaction over time compared to those who are married to spouses who are similar in age.
Age difference between spouses affects the couple’s ability to respond to negative economic shocks.
Similarly-aged couples are more in sync on life decisions that affect both partners (having children; general spending habits) and thus may be better equipped to adjust to a negative financial shock. By contrast, an unexpected financial shakeup could expose underlying tensions and mismatches in couples with a larger age gap.
Agencies
