Meet Older Women

Men's Dating

7 Best Ways to Meet Older Women (2024)

Amber Brooks

Written by: Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com.

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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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Meeting older women can be difficult for a lot of reasons. Maybe you don’t really encounter many mature women in your day-to-day life. Maybe you haven’t been in the dating scene very long and haven’t gotten your bearings yet. Maybe you’re just a little shy around attractive women.

If any or all of these reasons hit close to home, then this article is for you. Hopefully, our ideas about ways to meet older women can help you break out of your shell and mingle with attractive and lovely ladies in town.

We’ve brainstormed several ideas for singles hoping to meet older women, and we hope they give you the push you need to make something happen.

1. Try Senior Dating Sites and Apps

Online dating has become one of the most popular ways for millennials to meet their significant other, and the older generations have started to embrace it as well.

From 2013 to 2015, online dating usage doubled among singles aged 55 to 64, increasing from 6% to 12%. And it has only gotten stronger year after year since then.

We think online dating can improve everyone’s dating prospects, including an older man or woman who is single in later life. To help out, we’ve highlighted some of the most senior-friendly dating sites. You can use the search tools on these platforms to narrow the dating scene for women in your desired age range.

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Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships

Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more

Our Experts Say: “Match has more "over 50" members any other dating site, and it has a simple matching process that is responsible for millions of romantic connections...” Full Review »

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Match is a high-quality dating site and app that has been around for quite some time. Launched in 1995, Match is considered an old-timer in the online dating space, and it has stuck around decade after decade because it’s excellent at identifying personal compatibility and empowering singles to search for what they want.

Match’s claim to fame is that it has arranged more dates, relationships, and marriages than any other dating service. The online dating site and app offer a great place where senior singles can get out of their shell and meet a new person. Plus, all Top Picks on Match can communicate for free, no swiping or mutual matching required.

★★★★★
4.6/5.0

Relationships: Dates and Relationships

Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more

Our Experts Say: “OurTime is just for men and women who are 50 or older, and it's one of the most popular dating sites in this niche because of its size...” Full Review »

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OurTime caters to silver singles who are over 50, so you’ll find plenty of older women seeking companionship on this dating website and app. The mature dating space fosters many budding romances and relationships, and its search tools can help you find a person in your desired age range.

If you want to meet an older woman, you can create a free dating profile on OurTime, set an age range in the match settings, and arrange dates on your terms.

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If you’re more interested in short-term dates than in long-term love, you should try mingling on a discreet hookup site like Adult Friend Finder. This adult dating platform liberates sex seekers to pursue their pleasures without shame.

Singles, swingers, and polyamorous groups join Adult Friend Finder (AFF) when they feel like walking on the wild side, exploring erotic chats, and possibly picking up a hot date. The anonymous dating setting facilitates hookups and casual flirting, and it doesn’t cost anything to create a personal ad.

A younger man looking for a sexy cougar can join Adult Friend Finder and explore the local dating scene by using search filters by age, location, and physical appearance.

2. Join a Few Meetup.com Groups

Meetup

forever changed the social scene when it launched in 2002. Suddenly, singles had a convenient gateway to new friendships and relationships, and they could fill their calendars with fun local events. Meetup highlights tons of events organized by community members and social groups. You can join the group that appeals to your interests and hobbies, and you’ll receive automatic email alerts about its upcoming meetups.

We think Meetup is a good middle ground for singles because they’re using an online tool to find out about real-world events. You don’t need a lot of tech skills to pull that off, and you get to meet real people in the real world — no online chatting required.

You can find singles-friendly gatherings on Meetup by searching the keyword “singles.” Sometimes there will even be a mature singles group in the area, and then you’ve hit the jackpot.

3. Consider Members of Your Church or Other Religious Communities

Every Sunday, you have the opportunity to join dozens of wholesome, kind, and generous people at a local church service. Many individuals of faith find connection, hope, and purpose in these humble gatherings, and everyone is welcome to stop by and see what it’s all about.

Photo of church members

Singles can expand their horizons by joining a local church community.

Religious groups can offer singles a unique community based on shared values and lifestyles. That makes it an ideal place to meet someone who connects with you on the deepest level.

There are many different types of churches and religious communities out there, so don’t feel obligated to stick to the first one you encounter. You can try attending different services, events, and Bible study groups until you find where you fit.

A church group offers community, which is so important for single seniors. The church’s daily or weekly events can be a great opportunity for older singles to build companionship or even a romantic relationship with a new person who shares similar values and interests.

Even if you don’t have a church you like nearby, you can go online for Christian networking and join Christian Mingle, the largest Christian dating site and app around.

4. Ask Your Friends, Family, and Coworkers for Help

There’s no shame in asking for help every now and then. If you think you’ve done all you can on your own, you may want to reach out to someone you love and trust to see if they have any ideas about how to meet older women. According to a survey, nearly 60% of senior singles said they met dates through mutual friends.

Maybe a family member has a coworker who’s single, or maybe your friend will know someone who knows someone. People often love to play matchmaker and set up blind dates, so let your social connections do the legwork for your and scout out compatible dates.

5. Go to Local Bars and Restaurants with an Older Crowd

You may not think of a bar or restaurant as a place where a lot of older women hang out, but it’s actually common for cougars, single moms, and other women to grab a drink or early-bird dinner before heading home. Cooking for one can be a lot of work and leave a lot of leftovers, so it’s not uncommon to see singles of a certain age at a local bar or restaurant.

This can be a great opportunity to pay someone a compliment, have a low-key conversation, and see if the chemistry is right.

Photo of a mature couple with wine

Bars can offer a casual place for meeting and dating older women.

The laid-back and social atmosphere at a bar can facilitate a lot of good times for singles, and you never really know where the night may lead. Meeting someone at a bar may take some charm and finesse, but you’ll become better at it the more you practice your flirting skills.

6. Sign Up for Adult Classes Like Painting or Cooking

There’s a reason many couples find love in the classroom. These students see each other regularly and share a common interest, and they have the opportunity to learn a lot about each other before, during, and after class.

Even if you’re not in school anymore, you can still become a student of life and sign up for adult classes in your town. Whether you’re auditing a history class at a community college or registering for a cooking class at a local eatery, you should look for classes that appeal to your strengths and catch your attention.

You can browse Eventbrite to find out about upcoming classes in your area. If you have a particular passion for art, science, food, or anything, you can type that in the search bar to narrow the results.

7. Make Use of Facebook Friends and Friends of Friends

Facebook executives have recognized the social network’s potential for romance and have launched Facebook Dating, a feature within Facebook’s main app, as a solution for singles. In 2018, CEO Mark Zuckerberg shocked people at the F8 developer conference by announcing Facebook’s intention to disrupt the online dating scene. Facebook Dating is currently live in several countries in South America, and it has recently launched in the U.S.

Photo of Facebook's like button

Facebook Dating is free but it’s not the best dating site around.

Even singles outside the Facebook Dating scene can still use the platform to discover dates. You can browse through your friends list to see if anyone’s relationship status has changed to single recently.

Sometimes it can even be helpful to scroll through the friends of your friends on Facebook and see if anyone catches your eye. There are over 2 billion people on Facebook, so you should have plenty of options at your fingertips.

If you wind up getting an online crush on Facebook, you can either ask your mutual friend for an introduction or be a little bold and send a direct message yourself. Nothing creepy. Just say hello, maybe give a compliment, and see what happens.

Do Dating Sites Work for Seniors?

Yes, dating sites absolutely work for seniors. If you look, you can find tons of success stories from couples who met online. Even Martha Stewart has used online dating to find a date.

Meeting people in the real world can be difficult and nerve-wracking. You never really know what people’s intentions or expectations are. Fortunately, dating sites can make it easier to encounter folks who meet your standards.

“Dating sites have streamlined the process,” according to the dating website Silver Singles. “They give you direct access to a community of other singles looking for a relationship, allow you to outline your preferences beforehand, and provide a space to chat and connect online first.” It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Is It Worth Paying for a Dating Site or App?

My grandfather always told me that hard work is the foundation of all success. “You get out of it what you put into it,” was his personal motto. What he meant by that was that you have to put in some time, effort, and even finances if you want to accomplish your goals.

Online daters can’t expect dating sites and apps to do all the work. They have to take action to make connections and get results. And sometimes that means investing some money in a subscription to a dating site.

Photo of a man with a credit card

Paying for a dating site can be worth it if you’re serious about meeting quality folks.

All dating sites come with a cost. On a premium dating site, the cost is pretty straightforward — it’s the subscription fee. On a free dating site, the cost is in labor — you’ll have to sift through a lot of fake profiles and frivolous conversations before finding a good match.

Paid dating sites can offer greater security than free dating sites because everyone has paid for the privilege of using the platform. That automatically raises the caliber of users and limits the chances of running into an unsavory character. For seniors, who are vulnerable to online scams, paying for a dating site can be well worth the peace of mind.

Is Tinder Good for Seniors?

Although Tinder is overall the world’s most popular dating app with over 75 billion matches to its name, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Tinder is probably not the best dating app for seniors seeking real relationships.

First off, Tinder encourages singles to look at one another superficially, with only a short bio and profile picture to go on. Not the best place for  a mature woman, unless she’s into the cougar life.

Secondly, Tinder does not have a very large senior audience. About 5% of Tinder users are over 45, so you’ll run into a lot of 20-somethings and 30-somethings (maybe even some teenagers!) and find it extremely difficult to meet older women here.

Does Ashley Madison Work for Older Women Dating?

Ashley Madison is an online dating site where single and coupled individuals look for no-strings romance and casual sex encounters. It is designed for exploring anonymous hookups and affairs, and that’s why it has unique features such as photo blurring and discreet payment for the paid membership.

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Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dates, Affairs

Match System: Search by age, location, appearance, and more

Our Experts Say: “..” Full Review »

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A new person can join the Ashley Madison website (or download the dating app on Google Play or the App Store) without paying for a monthly subscription.

However, the free membership doesn’t come with all the perks. A mature lady will be able to read and send messages as a free member, but a man on the dating platform is not as lucky. A single man (or affair-seeking married guy) will need to upgrade to the paid membership to engage in conversations with any of the single women he fancies.

You Can Always Find New Ways to Meet Older Women

There comes a time when singles have exhausted their date options at work and in their social group, and they need to try something new. It may seem intimidating at first, but you can find romantic opportunities by consistently going outside your daily routine and striking up conversations both online and offline.

There’s no one right way to meet the love of your life. Some couples spark a connection at a dinner party, while others meet at a nightclub. All you have to do is choose the right dating ground for your needs, and then start talking to people you find attractive.

In “We Bought a Zoo,” Benjamin Mee tells his son that meeting the woman of his dreams can come down to a small moment of bravery. He says, “Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you something great will come of it.”

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