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I (33m) have been thinking a lot about whether I'm limiting myself by only looking to date women around my own age.

Part of my hesitation with dating has been my current life situation. I'm living with my family while I finish graduate school and work toward a career change, so I don't have a lot of money at the moment. I'm also dealing with anxiety, so I've often felt like I should "get my life together" before seriously dating. At the same time, I know waiting until everything is perfect could mean waiting forever.

Something else I've noticed is that I actually find it much easier to connect with women in their 40s than women my own age.

To be clear, I'm not looking for a "sugar momma" or someone to support me financially. If I dated someone in her 40s, there's a good chance she'd be more financially established than I am, but that's not what attracts me.

What attracts me is that I feel like my perspective, priorities, and energy level line up better with women who are 10–15 years older. I'm not into the club or bar scene, a lot of the pop culture people my age follow is pretty foreign to me, and I consistently find myself having deeper, more enjoyable conversations with older women.

So it has me wondering: why not actually try dating women in their 40s?

For those of you who have been in age-gap relationships where the woman was 10–15 years older, what was your experience? Are there challenges I'm overlooking? And for women in their 40s, would an early 30s-year-old man in my situation be someone you'd consider dating, or would my current life circumstances be a dealbreaker regardless of how well we connected?

Finally, if I do decide to pursue dating older women, what's the best way to meet them specifically for dating? I already have friends in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, so I'm asking about meeting potential romantic partners. Have you found dating apps, social activities, Meetup groups, volunteering, or something else to be the most effective?