In point of fact there are clear patterns that emerge when we look at who marries whom. Age Age is obviously a factor to be considered when choosing a spouse, and there is overwhelming evidence that Americans do take it into consideration. You might not think that much insight can be gained about our mate selection process by reflecting on this commonplace pattern - but you would be wrong. This gap has been in existence for a long time and there is little evidence that it is disappearing. Very few marriages occur in which the female is 5 or more years older than the male.
Females mature earlier than males - physically and psychologically.
They generally have to be older than the female because they have to be good providers before they can marry. If the gap is basically due to the last reason, then we can expect it to disappear as the provider role is more often shared by both male and female. If it is more due to the first reason then perhaps we should not expect it to disappear. He is finished school first, gets the first job, makes more money, gets the first promotion, etc. This age gap, then, often allow males to remain in the dominant position within marriages - without this ever having been consciously decided.