Most middle-aged and older women aren't interested in partnering in the same way that they were in their 20s when they were still bought into cultural norms. They've seen the ways that marriage demands way more from them than it does their partners and they want more independence and autonomy. They are a lot more picky about who they are going to pair up with. Many would rather stay single than settle.
"Young women may be looking for a more traditional arrangement, but older and middle-aged women increasingly are not.
After being told their whole lives that they are only complete people if they become wives and mothers, many women are discovering that they are just fine as singletons — some of them as never-married people and some of them as never-again divorcees or widows. The trend seems to be related to a desire for greater independence and autonomy and to have the kinds of love relationships that do not inhibit that."
“One possible explanation for this gender disparity is that men rely more on their partners—not just when it comes to cooking and housework, but also for emotional and social support. Women are more likely to have their own friends to lean on, and they may not be eager to take care of another man. “For many women, it’s the first time in their life they’ve had independence—they might own a home or have a pension, or something they live off every week,” Malta told me. “They don’t want to share that.”
