There has been a widespread fascination with age-dissimilar couples in recent years. This book examines how the romantic relationships of these couples are understood. Based on qualitative research, McKenzie investigates notions of autonomy, relatedness, contradiction, and change in age-dissimilar relationships and romantic love.

In her study, the author is primarily concerned with the social phenomena of age-dissimilar relationships and romantic love, and most importantly with how ideas, discourses and experiences of autonomy and relatedness are interplayed within such relationships. this is a very welcome book for all those interested in studies of interpersonal relationships, from sociology, family studies or social and cultural anthropology. (Ana Dragojlovic, The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 18 (2), February, 2017) This very accessible anthropologically informed, book presents a new and interesting addition to the existing literature on relationships. this is an extremely well-researched and comprehensively theorised book that adeptly straddles anthropology, sociology and psychology. It would therefore be of interest to those interestedin emotions, families or relationship studies whether coming from any of those discipline backgrounds. (Julia Carter, Anthropological Forum, Vol. 26 (2), 2016)

Autorentext
Lara McKenzie is a Research Associate at the University of Western Australia, Australia. Her research interests include age-dissimilar relationships, romantic love, age, gender, Australian society, neoliberalism, higher education, blended learning, and government/non-government school inequalities.

Inhalt
Introduction 1. Researching Age-Dissimilar, Romantic Couples: Trends, Concepts, And Methods 2. Love Through The Ages: Theorising And Historicising The Contradictions Of Romantic And Age-Dissimilar Couples 3. 'They're Just A Child': Uncovering The Boundaries Of A Normative Relationship Through Dialogue On Media Depictions Of Age-Dissimilar Couples 4. 'Age Is Just A Number': How Couples Challenged Chronological Age And Minimised Their Age Differences 5. Free To Be Fated: Similarity, Compatibility, And Choice Or Blind, Fated Love In Couple Formation 6. Equal And Autonomous? Couples' Gendered Differences And Power Relations 7. Conclusion: The Synthesis Of Autonomy And Relatedness In Age-Dissimilar Couplings