It’s just a cultural convention, originating in tradition. Other cultures may handle things differently. For example, in the US (if I remember correctly, I’m not from the US) the minimum acceptable age of your partner is something like half your age minus 7 years.

Both are frowned upon. But in proportion to a society’s lack of sex equality, the relationship from the older to the younger when the older is the more empowered sex will be rightfully seen as more suspect. Whichever sex, in a given society, typically wields more advantage, power, wealth, etc. is by those same tokens more likely to abuse their advantages. All relationships with large age gaps are seen suspiciously since it typically means either (1) the older person is taking advantage of a naive younger person, or (2) the younger person truly is mature beyond their years. But when the older person is also a member of some group which is more likely to have advantages, whether that is the group of “business owner”, the group of “famous people”, or in most still-patriarchal societies today, the group of “men”, the fact that they have more advantages reasonably draws additional suspicion to the already suspicious age gap. For instance, we suspect that the older person is only with the younger person for their looks, and is using their money to make it “worth it” for the younger person; or we suspect that the older person is using their wisdom to deceive the younger person into feeling truly loved when in fact they are objectified, etc. These tropes commonly show up in the case of the older woman with the younger man as well, but notice when - usually if the woman is very wealthy and the man is someone very attractive and not wealthy, and so on. It’s the unequal standing of the younger vs the older that draws additional suspicion to the older.

So, this seemingly unequal treatment of men vs. women is not the result of some sort of bias or dislike for men (as some people may mistakenly interpret it) but in fact a rational response to the reality of the unequal standing of men and women in our society.

Nice wording. Not comparing apples and oranges at all.

Is it?

It’s still seen as weird most of the time.

But to the extend that there is a difference, it’s due to the general power imbalance between genders in our still pretty patriarchalic societies. And gender norms and gender stereotypes, people have a set idea of what men and women are like and “old woman takes advantage of young man” doesn’t really fit into that; consider how hard it is for men who have been raped to get justice, especially if the offender is a woman.

As long as they are both adults, either should be nobody’s business.

Half your age, plus 7 is the rules I’ve always heard. There’s more too it, but if you’re asking purely about age differences

Why is it ok for a younger man to date an older woman? But is frowed upon when a man dates a much much younger feeeeeeeemale?

Woman. The word you’re looking for here is woman.

The answer to your question is, The Patriarchy. We are talking about power imbalance here, in.addition to age differential.

In both situations that you’re describing, the man likely has a lopsided size and strength advantage, and has the ability to overpower, rape, and/or kill the woman at any time of their choosing.

In the case of the older man and younger woman, the man also has additional financial power and social leverage on top of the size and strength differential.

You now have sufficient information to pull your head out of your ass on the topic.