Exploring Evolution and Survival of Large age-gap Romantic Heterosexual Relationships involving Older Women and Younger Men in Chipata, Zambia

Older woman/ younger man romantic relationships are also referred to as ‘May- December’ relationships because one partner is younger/ the younger man while the other partner is older/the older woman. These relationships are now a social reality in both rural and urban societies. No wonder, scholarly interest has been increasingly gaining ground around the subject for the purpose of understanding this social phenomenon. However, evolution and survival of these relationships remain unclear in academic circles. The objective of this study was to find out how large age gap romantic heterosexual relationships involving an older woman and a younger man develop and survive under harsh societal opposition. Using a cross-sectional design with a qualitative approach, the study was conducted in Chipata-Zambia between December 2020 and March, 2021. A total of 10 participants stratified as: 2 younger men married to older women, 4 younger men with a history of intimate relationship with older women, 2 females with relatives/neighbour who were hooked up with older women and 2 males whose younger male friends were cohabiting with aged women. The study used in-depth interview to collect data from participants. This study found that majority of these relationships developed coincidentally. Except in one case, the study found that older women did not pose as ‘assertive seductresses’ ready to defy social norms in order to date younger men. The study however, found that older women’s invitational or male-ego-challenging words, actions and non verbal language influenced the course leading to the formation of romantic relationships with son-like figures. The study also found that age-descripant couples stuck together despite harsh stereotypes when their relationship was characterized by respect, love and appreciation for each other.