Tinder has seen a spike in women looking to date younger men

Let's hope this signals the end of sexist dating stereotypes

We’ve recently seen some of the most famous women in the world settle down with younger men, with Britiney Spears, 40, marrying Sam Asghari, 28, and Kim Kardashian, 41, making things Instagram official with Pete Davidson, 28.

According to new data from Tinder, more female-identifying users on the dating app are actively looking to follow suit, with mentions of “younger man” in women’s bios increasing by 70% over the past year. 

The app claims almost half of female users on the platform have matched with a younger man in the past month alone. 

It seems the trend is working both ways, with the amount of men mentioning “older girl” in their bios up by 35%. 

But what’s behind the trend? Could there be more to it than the fact celebrities are role modelling relationships with younger men? 

Rachael Lloyd, a dating expert at eharmony, shared her thoughts in an interview with Tyla: 

“As women are becoming increasingly liberated and financially independent there is likely to be a tangible decline in choosing same-age or older partners.” 

She continued: “Historically, with the cost of living, it was important for women to date relatively mature men if they wished to buy a house or create a family. But nowadays, younger women, in particular, do not look to a male partner to provide the same level of financial benefits.” 

Rachael added that it’s about time women are free to date younger without judgement. “The sexist stigma around so-called ‘toyboys’ has diminished, and this can only be a good thing. Let’s face it, famous men like Rod Stewart, Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp have been dating much younger women without judgement for decades.”

Leonardo DiCaprio's dating history might sometimes raise a few laughs, but women have long been labelled "cougars" or "cradle snatchers" for dating younger people. It's great to learn things might be shifting, and that people are feeling freer than ever to date whoever they like.