An interesting question.
If I might counter with another: do the Thai women who marry older foreingers really "need" them? Would they be homeless and hungry without their older foreign partners? Or would they just be getting by, much like most other people in their socio-economic class?
According to those critical of age gap relationships, the couples have nothing in common and the younger partner could not possibly find the men attractive, so, if they don't "need" them, why are afluent women with OAP celebrities in the first place?
Perhaps it's really the same in both cases, they don't technically "need" the man, but they can make their lives better with their money and their social status.