Young Man, Head East To Find A Babe

Where is the lonely Canadian bachelorette to find the love of her life? According to The Globe and Mail, she should head west to continue her quest for romance. Statistics Canada has released some of the 2011 census results and there are actually more men than women in some communities.

Most of these communities with higher percentages of young men are smaller and based around the armed forces or natural resource exploitation. Petawawa, Ontario is the “best” place to find a man, with men of working age making up 55% of the population in the town of 16,000. If the big city is more your style, head to Calgary and Edmonton, where there are more working age men than in any other city in Canada.

Also, girls, you must be open to dating a man who is two times your age. If you are 25, expect men in their forties to become your prince charming, since dating younger men is still frowned upon. It’s only okay for men to date someone who is half their age; so if you are turning 40, the octogenarians may be chasing you.

While the census findings are interesting, why isn’t the article framed in a different way? Women are always expected to chase men; the Globe and Mail article should instead to be titled: “Young Man, head east to find a babe.”

I think this demographic shift will help reshape the sexist expectations around dating. For some reason, it is still taboo for a woman to date someone who is even a few years younger. I will never forget the look on my parents face when I told them my boyfriend is two years younger than me; I felt like a cradle robber. Canada should increase its cougar population; instead of telling women to head west, we should suggest she date the young dashing 20-year-old down the street. Whether or not he is the same age as her son.

Contact the author here: kait@morningquickie.com