Changes, changes? Women's experience of sexuality in later life

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch employing representative samples has provided data about the sexual expression of older adults in the past decade. The results indicate that sexual activity declines with age. Most of the data are quantitative. The purpose of this research was to study the lived experience of women aged 55–80. We ask: how does women's sexuality change in later life, and how do women experience these changes? We conducted face-to-face interviews with 24 women aged 55–80; all self-identified as heterosexual. Most of the women recounted declining sexual desire in the recent past; some attributed it to feeling less attractive or “frumpy”, others to physical changes that made sexual activity uncomfortable, and others to partners’ health problems. Paradoxically, only a minority reported declining frequency of sexual activity, while others reported stable frequencies, citing the importance of sex to the relationship. A minority described increased frequency, in some cases associated with entering a new relationship. Most women reported reacting to the changes by exercising agency; they described a diverse set of behavioral changes designed to maintain or enhance sexual expression. Our results provide insights into older women's experiences of change in sexuality, and their use of agency to cope with these changes.