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How important is sex in later life? The views of older people

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  • Gott, Merryn
  • Hinchliff, Sharron

Abstract

Stereotypes of an asexual old age remain pervasive, shaping not only popular images of older people, but also research and policy agendas. However, older people's own attitudes towards the role and value of sex in later life remain relatively unexplored. This paper draws on both quantitative and qualitative data to examine how sex is prioritised in middle age and later life. Data collection methods involved completion of two quality of life measures (WHOQOL-100 and WHOQOL Importance Scale), followed by semi-structured interviews. In total the sample comprised 69 individuals recruited from the age/sex register of a general practice in Sheffield in the UK. This paper will focus upon the accounts of 21 men and 23 women aged 50-92 years. Ratings of the importance of sex to participants were gathered from the WHOQOL Importance Scale; the in-depth interviews enabled the basis for this prioritisation to be explored. Analysis identified the following key themes. Participants who did not consider sex to be of any importance to them neither had a current sexual partner, nor felt that they would have another sexual partner in their lifetime. Indeed, all participants who had a current sexual partner attributed at least some importance to sex, with many rating sex as 'very' or 'extremely' important. However, experiencing barriers to being sexually active led them to place less importance on sex; this was particularly apparent when health problems and widowhood were experienced. Age was seen as facilitating coping when sex became less frequent, or stopped altogether. This was explained in terms of sexual desire decreasing with age (for some male participants), the cessation of sex being easier to cope with in a relationship of long duration and the expectation that sex will become less possible with 'normal ageing'. The discussion considers the implications of these findings for this developing field.

Suggested Citation

  • Gott, Merryn & Hinchliff, Sharron, 2003. "How important is sex in later life? The views of older people," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(8), pages 1617-1628, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:56:y:2003:i:8:p:1617-1628
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Hyojung Park & Sunhwa Shin, 2015. "Development and psychometric testing of a semantic differential scale of sexual attitude for the older person," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(4), pages 526-532, December.
    2. Matthew Lee Smith & Caroline D. Bergeron & Heather H. Goltz & Tammy Coffey & Ali Boolani, 2020. "Sexually Transmitted Infection Knowledge among Older Adults: Psychometrics and Test–Retest Reliability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-10, April.
    3. Ieva Stončikaitė, 2017. "‘No, My Husband Isn’t Dead, [But] One Has to Re-Invent Sexuality’: Reading Erica Jong for the Future of Aging," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-11, May.
    4. Hordern, Amanda Jane & Street, Annette F., 2007. "Constructions of sexuality and intimacy after cancer: Patient and health professional perspectives," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1704-1718, April.
    5. Félix Neto & Maria da Conceição Pinto, 2013. "The Satisfaction with Sex Life Across the Adult Life Span," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 767-784, December.
    6. Ieva Stončikaitė & Núria Mina-Riera, 2020. "A Creative Writing Workshop on Sexuality and Ageing: A Spanish Pilot Case Study," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-12, July.
    7. Ana Carvalheira & Cynthia Graham & Aleksandar Stulhofer & Bente Traen, 2020. "Predictors and correlates of sexual avoidance among partnered older adults among Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 175-184, June.
    8. Bob Erens & Kirstin R Mitchell & Lorna Gibson & Jessica Datta & Ruth Lewis & Nigel Field & Kaye Wellings, 2019. "Health status, sexual activity and satisfaction among older people in Britain: A mixed methods study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, March.
    9. Ieva Stončikaitė, 2020. "On the Hunt for Noble Savages: Romance Tourism and Ageing Femininities," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-10, June.
    10. Alison Pullen & Torkild Thanem & Melissa Tyler & Louise Wallenberg & Andrew King, 2016. "Queer Categories: Queer(y)ing the Identification ‘Older Lesbian, Gay and/or Bisexual (LGB) Adults’ and its Implications for Organizational Research, Policy and Practice," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 7-18, January.
    11. Speer, Susan A. & Tucker, Samantha R. & McPhillips, Rebecca & Peters, Sarah, 2017. "The clinical communication and information challenges associated with the psychosexual aspects of prostate cancer treatment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 17-26.
    12. Shuyan Yang & Elsie Yan, 2016. "Demographic and psychosocial correlates of sexual activity in older Chinese people," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5-6), pages 672-681, March.

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