As everyone knows, girls as usual mature faster than boys. In the FSU countries this process is even more accelerated. Many children here know about a lack of money and food (it's not a secret that Soviet government sold corn while people there were duying from femine), they watch all that corruption and unfair proceedings of the country, challenges of life. Girls, in particular, often face behavior that in some other countries could be considered harassment: many women can find a job and earn money only if they win favor of their male bosses; often ladies are perceived as merely dolls without brains. Basic instinct of self-preservation and aiming for improvement make search for better alternatives and men, who can appreciate them.

Until recent years there was a tendency among Russian/Ukrainian women to marry men close to their age who were either their high school sweethearts or college and university pals. Statistics show that 50-60% of marriages break within first three years of the union. Many women end up leaving the relationship with children, as well as disappointment in men their age from their home country. As a result, they turn to foreign men who are older and expect them to be more courteous, wise and caring.

An additional factor in searching for older men is also women's psychological perception. Since many girls grow up in "incomplete" families and are abandoned by their fathers, when they search for a relationship, on a subconscious level they veer more towards older partners. In other words, they are looking for a "father figure". They sometimes don't even realize it, but when they turn to older men, they are looking for someone to be their protector, someone who'd take care of them and give them security they were deprived of as a child.

Although such pressure is getting less in the current days, until recently a lady could be viewed as an old maid unless she got married by the age of 22-23. On the contrary, most men do not face much pressure and begin getting serious about starting a family only close to their 30s. That automatically puts a 7-8 year difference between the partners. Add to it the time that men spent with the "wrong" partner in a previous marriage or relationship, and that puts available male candidates right at their late 30s ? early 40s, which creates such a drastic age difference between the ladies and them.

Bottom line is: true love has no boundaries. If you find someone who seems attractive and interests you as a person, be daring and take a chance of finding your despite the age and distance.