I don't think of age difference as such a huge issue for adult couples. Of course, such a statement is inevitably followed by some sort of question of what constitutes an adult or adult life. As a twentysomething, I certainly think of myself as an adult, and yet I also realize that I share very little in common with
adults 10 years my senior. I'm not settled into life, my career isn't totally established and my interests are still somewhat juvenile. And realizing that, I don't really feel that it would be possible for me, and most others around my age, to have a successful and fullfilling relationship with someone 10-15-20 years older than me. Unless this "older man" is himself very immature, I can't imagine that there'd be much for us to bond and build a connection over. However, a relationship with someone considerably older than me seem more reasonable as I age and transition out of my
young adult lifestyle. It seems sensible that someone in their 40s/50s might build a genuine connection with someone in their 30s, as both parties will have settled into a similar lifestyle.
So, I've always found it a little peculiar that some young persons actively seek out relationships with older persons. It can work. My father is 11 years older than my mother. They married when she was just 24, and they've been happily married since. It helped their relationship that my mother (from what I can gather about her teenage/young adult years) has behaved like a 40 year old since was 14 and is very much of the settle-down-and-have-babies mindset. How many of us can actually claim to be mature beyond our years? So many of us like to think we're too mature for our fellow twentysomethings, but isn't it always the case the people who are the most vocal about being "mature for their age" are actually the most juvenile?