Just a number after all

AGE FACTOR

It is often said that love knows no age and is beyond boundaries. The concept of dating keeps changing with time but what remains a contemplated issue is the
age, especially if the woman in the relationship is older than the man.

If we look at the world of celebrities, we realise that age isn’t an issue for most of them. There are many such famous couples, who proudly flaunt their relationship.

One of the best examples is cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, who is six years older than him. But how common are such relationships among ordinary people? Metrolife speaks to a few youngsters to find out.

Rohini Bharadwaj, a student, says in such relationships, the understanding plays an important role. “Age really does not matter as long as both are understanding. We can be with a man younger than us as long as we are compatible,” she notes.

Even for Arinjita Paul, who studies in Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, age is not a concern. “Age should not be an issue when one is in a relationship. What matters most is the maturity level. If the man and the woman are mature enough to not keep bringing up their age difference, their relationship will last long,” she quips.

Shivangi Tiwari, an engineering student, says sometimes, age does matter. “These days, people really don’t care about age. When you first meet your love, you don’t think about his or her age. However, an age difference of 10 or 15 years might matter because then there is a difference in the maturity level,” she says.

But Namaratha Nagraj is of a different opinion. “I don’t agree with the concept of dating a younger man.

For me, age matters and I would prefer dating a person who is older to me as I want my partner to be more mature than me. After all, I have to spend my entire life with him,” she notes. Psychologist Monisha Srichand, who is also the director of ‘Talk It Over’, a counselling service, explains that there are two types of age — biological and psychological.

“In the earlier generations, the man was always older than the woman in a relationship. But nowadays, it does not matter much. Biological age doesn’t make a difference as much as psychological age. Psychologically, women become mature at a young age.

For instance, a woman might be two years older to a man but if their psychological age is the same, their relationship can work,” she notes.

Explaining further, Monisha says if a boy and girl get into such a relationship at a young age, there are less chances of the survival of the relationship.

However, it is different in the case of adults. “I have seen many successful marriages in which the woman is a year or two older. More than the age, the perception of the age difference by the couple matters the most,” she says. So in the end, the most important thing is love. After all, isn’t age just a number?