Wide-ranging UK survey shows how today's 40+ woman is no longer interested in stability and security in relationships, and is just as likely to play the field and get casual as any man, with no thought for the consequences.

PRESS DISPENSARY - Wednesday, Jul 14, 2010 - The 40+ woman of 2010 is no longer interested in stability and security as the basis for relationships, and is just as likely to play the field, get casual and chase after younger models as any man, without caring for the consequences. A wide-ranging survey conducted for specialist UK dating website Yes! Mrs Robinson (http://www.yesmrsrobinson.com ) shows not only that 40% of 40+ women would like to be in relationships with younger men - with a quarter already in such a relationship - but that a full three quarters see such relationships as quick flings, casual or no-strings fun, and almost the same number are prepared to admit that the young turks can't be trusted - yet that doesn't seem to put them off.

Yes! Mrs Robinson is the runaway success site of dating expert Paul Benbow, who also runs Smart Dating UK, and was set up to satisfy the fast-growing trend for toy-boy dating. Even Paul, experienced in the dating habits of 40-somethings, was surprised by the results of the survey.

"When Cyndi Lauper first said girls just wanted to have fun, it was assumed she meant while they were young. Their generation was expected to play for a while but then settle down," he says. "But those same women are now declaring that the old-fashioned values haven't lasted. For them, it's all about no strings, no commitment, a good time ... and no illusions about how long it could last."

According to the survey conducted for Yes! Mrs Robinson by One Poll, 36% of the 2,000 female respondents saw the younger man relationship as just a bit of fun, 20% saw it as a short fling and another 20% saw it as casual or no strings. And 70% acknowledged the likelihood of their younger man running off with a girl his own age.

But what age? 13% thought it would be fine to have a relationship with a man 10 years their junior while 11% thought a guy 20 years younger would be fair game. And a sizeable 63% said they would not be embarrassed to introduce a toy boy to their friends.

Reaching the regions, Welsh ladies proved the keenest for the toy boy trend, with almost half (48%) of the respondents indicating that they would like one, against the UK average of 40%.

But some things haven't changed as much. A massive 90% of the 2,000 women still sought a young man with "personality" and 84% were attracted by a "sense of humour", while "body" only moved a quarter and the classic "tall, dark and handsome" mattered only to 15%.

Paul Benbow continues: "For today's women, head rules heart. They're not after building a serious relationship and they don't put values such as 'faithful', 'loyal' and 'true' at the top of their wish list, much preferring 'energetic', 'charismatic' and 'fun'. And the popularity of 'toy boy' dating - or 'cougar dating'* as it's coming to be known - has never been as great."

High profile toy boy relationships are making over-40s women keener than ever to bag their own example of boyish charm. Demi Moore caused a media storm when she married Ashton Kutcher, 15 years her junior, back in 2005. More recently, the aptly named Iris Robinson, wife of Ireland's First Minister, Peter Robinson, caused scandal by having an affair with a handsome 19-year-old Kirk McCambley, 41 years her junior.

Paul Benbow concludes: "It's no longer about Mrs Robinson preying on the young graduate but from the comfort of home and marriage: it's about Mrs Robinson going out there and having a good time on equal terms with a young man who wants to say yes.

"Maybe older men who are getting set in their ways need to take note: even when they're 40 plus, girls just wanna have fun."

Notes for editors

Paul Benbow operates Yes! Mrs Robinson ( http://www.yesmrsrobinson.com ) as well as other dating sites, including dating comparison site, Smart Dating UK (http://www.smartdatinguk.com ), profile writing and photo shoot help site, Perfect Dating Profile ( http://www.perfectdatingprofile.com ) and Smart Dating London for singles in the capital.

* Following the US hit TV show, 'Cougar Town'

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