How long do you think a man can pull off the 'avoid single moms' thing? I've done it into my early 40s.
A childless man and a single mom is not a good coupling either. I wouldn't be able to date a similarly aged single mom.
When I think about women 35-40 with children, their children are typically 2-8 years old. At least that's the case with the 35-40 year old women that I know with children. That might not be a representative sample of single moms. I know a lot of married moms in that age range.
My hot take:
I've dated a lot after 40 and found that 90% of the women have kids. Of course this means limited availability (if the kids are still at home), date cancellations due to kid stuff, and often the ex is still in the picture. Plus, if she's hot, she's also playing the field as much - if not more - than a younger single woman as she's taking advantage of new found freedom if recently divorced. So, I never take these types seriously. Maybe she’s something to do on the side until Beta Male Bob comes along and plays daddy for her kids, pays her bills, and placates to all her needs. Women will generally gravitate towards stability and a "provider" type when they get older.
The remaining 10% that don't have kids after 40 are really f*cked up, in my experience. They have huge personality issues, can be really irresponsible, and/or have so much masculine energy (even if they’re petite and hot) that it turns guys off.
So that's my experience dating after 40 and beyond. Kind of a waste of time. So now, I only date hot women that live very close to me and then it's super casual. Otherwise, I'd rather hang and hike with my Doberman quite honestly as the whole "dating thing" is a HUGE time suck with very few positive results.