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At one time the thought of a younger man dating or even marrying an older woman was frowned upon. Yet if an older man were to be involved with a woman much younger than him it was viewed as perfectly acceptable.  Within the past 5 to 10 years society has warmed up to the idea of older women with younger guys. 

The phenomenon has been coined cougar dating with the women being referred to as cougars.  The term Cougar traces its roots back to the bars and pubs of Canada. It was started by the younger men as they watched older women approach and compared them to cougars hunting prey.  

 Today the term has taken on a broader meaning.  It has become a lifestyle and a personality trait of older confident women.

At first Cougars were thought to only be looking for the “boy toy”,  a quick fling with few strings attached.  Then Ashton Kutcher married Demi Moore, breaking that mold and making it more acceptable for relationships to grow into something more permanent and substantial.

As the concept gains traction it is becoming more evident that the “Real Cougar" knows what they want and they are not afraid to go after it whether it is a younger man or that corner office.  They are secure in who they are and where their life is going.

It’s likely that the cougar movement will continue to influence how inter-generational people interact, communicate and develop relationships with each other.  Age has become less of a barrier with cougars breaking the stereo types.

Cougar dating has opened doors in the world of online dating. There are millions of people seeking relationships through online dating these days. With that many options, the pool of possiblities must have a broad age range too.  You can expand your options by including a range of ages that yiou are comfortable with in your search criteria.  It might be fun to test the waters.  Your soul mate may just be younger than you.