When men marry later, age gap is larger, researchers find

The San Jose Mercury reports:

From politicians like Dennis Kucinich and John McCain, to businessmen like Larry Ellison and Donald Trump, to entertainers like Woody Allen and Larry King, there's no shortage of rich, successful men marrying younger women.

The assets of fame, power and big bucks, the belief goes, tend to make up for the debits of time - gray hair, paunches and assorted wrinkles.

But, according to new Stanford University research, the "success" part may not have much to do with it, either. The older a man is when he marries after 40, the greater the likelihood that his bride will be significantly younger - whether that man is wealthy or not.

"The poor guys marry down (in age) just as much as the rich guys do," said Paula England, a Stanford sociologist and co-author of the new study. "That was kind of surprising to us."

Men in their 40s tend to marry women who average seven years younger, and men in their 50s are marrying brides who average 11 years younger, according to England's research. And men in the 60s? They marry women who are 13 years younger.