(CR!S) The key word in this question is “women”. By definition, pedophiles are attracted to prepubescent children and would have no interest in women, no matter how young. Even if you were to try to create a link between men liking young women and pedophilic interests, the question would be fraught with complex variables.
For one thing, American and much of Western and Eastern culture sexualize teen female (and sometimes male) bodies in media and entertainment. Any male raised in these cultures may be “trained” subconsciously to be attracted to that age range.
In many cultures historically, post pubescent females were considered women and were available for marriage. Often they would be married (against their will) to much older men. In modern times, women have much more autonomy over their own lives and choices and we’ve created this idea that people under the age of 18 are legally children.
Obviously the construct that all people suddenly become adults at the exact same number of years after their birth (and that this change happens over 24 hours) is insane.
A deeper question concerns men who consistently try to date much younger women.
This may indicate either an unhealthy fixation on youth or young bodies or a severe lack of maturity. But in Latin America dating a women 20 years younger is a common and accepted as normal, always when the woman is 18 or over, below that there are legal repercussions.
Many young women willingly enter these relationships, the older man/younger woman.
In Costa Rica that dynamic is changing, however, as many young women are frowning on the 20 year age difference and are looking at men closer to their age, let’s say not more than 10 years. However, that does not apply to the social sexual workers (working girls).
If you considering that liking and wanting to be 18 year-old women, assuming you are an older man, does that mean you have a Pedophile tendencies?
The word you are looking for is Ephebophilia ~ which describes a primary or exclusive adult sexual interest in mid-to-late adolescents (teenagers) between 15 and 19 years of age.
Then there is Hebephilia which is a persistent adult interest in pubescent individuals, usually between 11 and 14 years old.
Last, but not least, we have Pedophilia which is the primary and exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children.
The subject is sensitive by nature; sexual crimes against innocent children are utterly horrible by nature but these two ~ Ephebophilia and Pedophilia are not to be confused with one another.
That all being said: Adult men, that [like][/like] are sexually drawn to 18-year-old women, express strong indications of being ephebophiliacs, these men have a preference for mid-to-late adolescent sexual partners.
Pedophilia on the other hand is an exclusive adult sexual interest in children.
So, if you are a man preferring 18 year-old women you are an Ephebophile.
But, it’s not as simple as that, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are an Ephebophile. Men can see potential in young women and be attracted to that potential based on the promising features and physical traits they were born with, asserting interest in a girl who had the potential to look better 10 years from now.
Quite frankly if the age of consent was lower than 18 years old some men might admit attraction to younger women. Remember we’re dealing with social constructs not natural behavior.
In Costa Rica, the age of consent is 13 years of age. But, the law punishes the man with prison if his age if five years of greater. That is to say, a 19-year-old who has a sexual liaison with a 13 year-old could go to jail, 19 and 14. If the girl is 15 and before her 18th birthday, the age difference is seven years or more before running into legal.
This law is non-gender specific. This article deals with an older man and a young girl, however, the sanctions also apply in the case of an older man with a young boy or an older woman with a young boy or girl.
Many men like younger women because of their youth and their laid-back nature. Some mature women, think more about settling down, marriage, having kids, etc. and don’t really have fun like they used to when they were young. Young women enjoy their life and every aspect of it, they are about having fun.
In closing, the personal preference men liking 18 year-old women is not pedophelia, but fraught with issues regarding power, societal norms, morality, sexuality.