Gender differences in internet use for sexual purposes in individuals aged 55 years and over

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Surveys indicate gender differences in the general population in the use and frequency of the internet and in the use of applications for the expression of sexuality online, with the majority of users being male. Despite several studies already carried out regarding the gender difference in the expression of sexuality online, there is a lack of scientific studies seeking to identify the influence of gender in individuals aged 55 years and over in the expression of sexuality Objective The aim of this descriptive study is to compare the distribution the internet use for sexual purposes behavior among the male and female gender in individuals aged 55 years and over. Methods 119 (66.39%] female and 33,61% male) participated in this research, conducted through an online survey in Brazil, aged 55 years or more. The instruments that were applied in the online survey include the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Internet Use, General Technical Interest and Protocol Online Sexual Behaviour and Satisfaction. Statistical analyzes were performed using Stata software. Results Regarding sociodemographic variables, no statistically significant differences were identified in relation to education and marital status by gender, and a greater number of participants of both genders with a complete postgraduate degree (51.26%) and married (48.74%) were registered. On the other hand, with regard to age, there were statistically significant differences (p value=0.040) in relation to gender, with the sample of men (M=63.47%, SD=4.66) older than women (M=61.65%, SD=5.13) Similarities were identified in the results by gender of participants aged 55 and over in this study regarding interest in new technologies (91.60% of participants are interested in new technologies), internet usage (96.64% of the sample uses it daily) and frequency of use of social networks (47.06% use up to three hours a day), dating sites (91.60% do not use it), online games (97.48% of the sample does not use it) and applications/chats (45.38 % of the sample use between one to three hours a day) for the expression of sexuality. Regarding the frequency of use of pornographic sites, there was a significant difference (p<0.001) by gender with the sample of men (65%) using sites with explicit content compared to women (11.39%). Conclusions In the present study, it was identified that the significant differences between genders only occurred in relation to the age of the sample, with men older than women and in relation to the consumption of pornography, with men using pornographic websites for sexual purposes in a greater proportion compared to the women's group. Through this research with individuals aged 55 years or more, it was found that the differences between genders are less significant than expected with regard to the frequency of internet use and behavior for sexual purposes on the Internet. Disclosure Work supported by industry: no.