I’m sure a lot of people will flame for for this, but....I think it is very smart for women in their 20s to look for more successful men in the 30s or 40s. Why? Because they have proven themselves and are probably ready to settle down with one woman. Especially a woman who is much young then them and ready to bear their children. She will always be younger than him and he will always consider her a prize.
The only problem with the above is that it makes it miserable for men to be in their 20s. A woman who marries a man in his 20s is rolling the dice in many ways. He may turn out to be a failure or a mediocrity. Or, if he is successful, he may chase after a younger woman when they are both older.
Of course, when I was in my 20s, I did not subscribe to the above. Now that I am older and wiser, I see the logic in it.
BTW, for context, I am over 60 and married to the same woman for 35+ years.
This was such a frustrating thing into my 20s, too.
I should have been scoping out high schools, I guess.
The problem is that many want guys their age BUT only the top 10% or so. They then piss away their most valuable asset - their youth - and after failing to land the triple 6 guy they wanted while in their 20s, they figure they can circle back and now get those guys their age they just spent their entire youth rejecting. Those guys of course then return the favor once they're both in their 30s and the guys now are starting to have success in their careers.
Yes, there are definitely risks involved but a woman is FAR LIKELIER to get a good man her age if she chooses him in her 20s. For example, my parents were high school sweethearts and married as soon as they finished college (not uncommon back then). I'm sure that when my dad looked at my mom years later all he saw was the girl who chose him when she had lots of other choices....which is why he never even considered leaving after becoming an anesthiologist and making good money by the time he finished med school and his mandatory sting in the army. She INVESTED her youth in him and PROVED to him that she really wanted him. That is goodwill she put in the bank that would never run out for the rest of their lives.
Show commitment and loyalty (and if you've chosen a good guy) then you get commitment and loyalty in return. Show none and invest nothing, you get nothing in return. That's where we are today.