Do relationships with big age gaps last?

Yourself isit wrote: »

Age gaps seem to the rock on which live and let live liberalism on relationships flounder.

Do gay marriages work? Do open relationships work? Does polygamy or polyamory work when agreed to? What about relationships based on sexual kinks - on submission and domination? What about class differences? Racial differences.

All are agreed to work. To ask is to be a bigot.

Just don't be 15 years older. Or be prepared for a long defence. And plenty ridicule.

Aye and one of the big reasons IMHO and I outlined earlier is that large age gaps in marriages/relationships are extremely indicative of societies with lower gender equality, where men hold the power and go for younger women who are essentially seen as fertile baby makers. That's why subconsciously or no the "live and let live liberalism" gets attacks of the vapours on the matter. Add in a little of the "you don't go for women your own age, because they're more equal". A large age gap with the man older(the most common) looks like the dreaded "patriarchy" to some. With all of your other examples this isn't in play. They appear to signify a more "equal" and "liberal" society. There's a few other more subtle things going on too, but that would be much of it.

Permabear wrote: »

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Yes and no. It's not the personal examples, more what the general dynamic suggests to some.

As Yourself isit pointed out, liberals will bend over backwards to condone relationships based on submission-domination dynamics -- but then a relationship between a young woman and an older man is condemned because there's a power differential. Again, this seems contradictory.

Not that contradictory. Sub dom stuff is ok so long as it doesn't butt into say modern notions of feminism. Look at how women who "just" want to be housewives and mothers can attract flak from that angle, even though women are told they have full choice in what they want from life. We see it in the sexual revolution too. Great stuff if you're a man or woman riding all that walks while swing from chandeliers with French ticklers up the bum, but suggest you want to remain a virgin until a serious relationship/marriage and not so much great stuff.

With the obvious exception of children, what other limitations are you thinking of?

Well animals for a start, but... More in the realms of 'normal', while casual polyamory is OK, settled polygamy is illegal in most western cultures and not exactly lauded.