Three times as many men over 55 have become parents since the 1970s, according to state number cruncher Statistics Norway (SSB).

Whilst two percent of male fathers have partners or spouses that are 25 or more years younger than them, the figure for those who become fathers with women 20 or more years their junior rises to six percent. 

Kari Skrede at the SSB tell VG, “an increasing number of men get their first child after turning 40, and we see more and more mature parents.”

Sex and relationship psychology specialist Kristin Spitznogle believes younger women are attracted to and choosing older men because of their status and financial situation, seen as cherished and masculine qualities.

“They prefer to ‘recycle’ men with ‘the right’ qualities instead of choosing the ‘uninteresting’ ones who don’t meet the requirements,” she says. “In addition, he is also a modern and adaptive man who is willing to meet her on the home front when it comes to qualities of compassion and sexual equality.”

On a county basis, Vestfold has seen a 660 percent rise in numbers of men over 50 having children in the decade from 1991, with Hordaland, Buskerud, and Østfold returning increases of 420, 338, and 260 percent, respectively. Møre og Romsdal comes bottom with 58 percent.

According to Anne Skevik Grødem, employed at multidisciplinary research foundation FAFO’s Institute for Labour and Social Research, it is more common for women of around 30 to have children with older men. 

“There are more women than men who study at higher educational level, and it can be difficult for them to find men with higher education similar in age,” she concludes, pointing out that a contributory statistical factor is divorce becoming more common.

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