The Urban Cougar Phenomenon-younger men dating older women

I recently have been in contact with a very young man who claims that he dates almost exclusively older women because he can't relate to or have conversations with the younger ones. This same guy told me about the website urbancougar.com. The site is a kind of celebration of younger men who are in pursuit of hot older ladies- for whatever reason- whether it be because they are wiser, richer, more self-assured, less hang-ups about wanting a relationship or getting married, more experimental or eager in bed etc... The site defines and classifies 'cougars' as well as tells you where to go to pick-up or hunt for 'cougars'. I found the site to be quite amusing but also slightly offensive and disrespectful in an obtuse kind of way.

I also started reading a book called Micro-trends and it also talks about this 'cougar' phenomenon and how it's becoming a huge trend in cities around the globe. Apparently in the US, they've already had several talk-shows about this particular topic and there's even a long-standing thread on A Small World about older women and younger men.

Why is this happening? There are so many reasons- Firstly, there's the super high divorce rate and the fact that many modern women are career-minded and don't necessarily want to play housewife  and don't mind being the bread winner and wearing the pants in the couple.

Secondly, there are so many anti-aging measures these days like 24 hour gyms, botox etc.. that women just look younger and more desirable for longer. Then there are all the other reasons I listed in the previous paragraph. It does seem, however, that the overwhelming reason that younger men want older women is for sex.

Older women seem less likely to cling onto dead relationships and just take things for what they are because, frankly, they've been there done that and don't want to bother anymore. In a sense, the coping skills of older women seem to be more finely tuned. Sex, therefore, takes a much more lighter and recreational role- something which is truly appealing to guys who are 'young, dumb and full of cum'. There's something naughty, exciting and taboo about bedding an insatiably wild cougar.

I never thought about it before, but I did notice that historically, I've dated men much younger than myself. I didn't seek it in particular, it just happened to work out that way. Does that make me a cougar? I hope to hell not. (I did a poll with my friends and they all agreed that I shouldn't be calling myself this despite the fact that I've been recently separated- whew!)

There's no denying the allure of young guys- they are much smoother, tighter and more idealistic and energetic than their older counterparts. However, while young guys can talk the talk and possibly bullshit their way into dropping an older woman's panties, unfortunately, often they lack the maturity, finesse and sensitivity of someone who has been on the earth for many more years.

Anyway, I decided to do some research of my own on this topic and I as I will be writing an article about the urban cougar phemomenon. What does everyone think about this? If you are a young guy- would you date an older woman and why? If you are an older woman- would you consider dating a younger guy and why? Also what would your reasons be for embarking on such a social taboo and do you think society is too harsh on older women who go out with younger men and vice-versa? If you are an older guy, how do you feel about this topic?