What Is the Best Age Difference For a Successful Marriage?

Men marry younger women and women prefer to marry older men, in general. But is it culture, genetics or the environment that drives such a choice—and is there an optimal age difference?

There is no universal formula that can guarantee happiness in a relationship or success in marriage. Every couple goes through their unique trials and tribulations, every couple finds a way to cope with the challenges life throws at them. Some survive, some don’t. That said, there are certain broad guidelines and generalised checklists that can help increase the odds of making a marriage work.

Different age gaps work for different couples, depending on their priorities and what they seek in marriage. Whether you are an older woman with a younger man or young girl arranged in a match with an older man, age difference can significantly impact compatibility between a couple. To help you decide what would be an appropriate age difference between you and your future life partner, depending on individual aspirations and priorities.

According to a research conducted by the department of Mental and Sexual Health, Oxford University, London (U.K) the best age difference between male and female should be around 3-6 years. The research was conducted in 2016, at Inner Circle, Regents Park and the sample size was 1:2 of the total population. The then Head of the department of Mental and Sexual Health Dr. Kyong Smith was leading the researchers and concluded the thesis. 

Other research in modern day Sweden has shown that the ideal reproductive match is for a man to marry a woman six years his junior. But the cultural constraints on marriage may have changed. "Wealth was the most important factor in a [Sami] marriage," Helle notes. "Love played almost no role in it."

Another study by Dr. Allen Match shows that ideal age difference should be 5 years between the male and female. It's one case of perfection against many. Groom ideally should be 5 inches taller than bride. Bride ideally should be fairer than groom. Groom ideally should be earning a lot as compared to bride. Groom ideally should be well settled.

One has to understand you are not looking for an on screen chemistry pairs but a life partner.

Dr. Allan Match quotes his personal life, "Me and my wife have an age difference of 4 years whereas my brother and my sister in law has an age difference of 8 years and my brother got married by 26 and having an extremely happy married life. So this age difference hardly matters."  The study shows men matures a bit late compared to woman. You can't have the calmness in men in between 21–28 years of age.