The big issue that remains after 18 is power disparity. A 40 year old with a stable career, savings, a house, etc has way more power in the relationship than someone who is still in college and has no real resources of their own as an example.
It’s really easy for a bad actor to isolate and abuse a younger partner to the point where it’s near impossible for them to leave because they have nothing to fall back on. Doesn’t mean it happens every time, but that’s inherently why people get pretty leery of age gaps like that even after 18. Because they can be used to trap people in abusive relationships and leave them with little choice but to rely on their abuser.
By that logic, isn’t it just as problematic when both parties are 40 but there’s a significant salary imbalance between them? Even more so when the lower-earning partner has something else to keep them stuck, like their own dependent children.
Yes it can be predatory people that age don’t go for other 40 year olds, they go for the younglings.
When the person with money is old,fragile and mentally declining a young person could also be a predator.
Mentally challenged people could be in a vulnerable position all of their life.
Many relationships can be predatory/manipulative/toxic problematic age gap relationships are just very common and obvious. Also if you are 40 dating as young as legally possible you would probably go younger and thats creepy as fuck.
When the person with money is old,fragile and mentally declining a young person could also be a predator.
Basically the definition of a gold-digger - young attractive person marries someone wealthy but frail in the hopes that they die and they get the inheritance.
The big issue that remains after 18 is power disparity. A 40 year old with a stable career, savings, a house, etc has way more power in the relationship than someone who is still in college and has no real resources of their own as an example.
It’s really easy for a bad actor to isolate and abuse a younger partner to the point where it’s near impossible for them to leave because they have nothing to fall back on. Doesn’t mean it happens every time, but that’s inherently why people get pretty leery of age gaps like that even after 18. Because they can be used to trap people in abusive relationships and leave them with little choice but to rely on their abuser.
By that logic, isn’t it just as problematic when both parties are 40 but there’s a significant salary imbalance between them? Even more so when the lower-earning partner has something else to keep them stuck, like their own dependent children.
Yes it can be predatory people that age don’t go for other 40 year olds, they go for the younglings.
When the person with money is old,fragile and mentally declining a young person could also be a predator.
Mentally challenged people could be in a vulnerable position all of their life.
Many relationships can be predatory/manipulative/toxic problematic age gap relationships are just very common and obvious. Also if you are 40 dating as young as legally possible you would probably go younger and thats creepy as fuck.
Basically the definition of a gold-digger - young attractive person marries someone wealthy but frail in the hopes that they die and they get the inheritance.
I don’t find the latter case too objectionable as both parties know it’s really a transaction.
what if the 18 year old is a multi millionaire and the 40 year old makes like 60K a year?