First, societal taboos and ageist attitudes have led to a marginalization of older adults’ sexuality. No one wants to imagine people their grandparents’ or parents’ age having sex, so we cast out those thoughts. What we get as a result are limited discussions and representations of sex in later life; think of how few scenes we see of older people getting it on in movies and TV, and how often post-50 sex and Viagra are the butt of the joke for late-night comedians.
We’re all going to get older eventually (hopefully, anyway) but because we’ve stigmatized post-50 sex so much, we’re ill-prepared for the realities of it, Chavez said.
“There’s a lack of comprehensive sex education tailored to older age groups, leaving many individuals uninformed about the changes and challenges they may face regarding sexuality as they age,” she told HuffPost.
“This all leads to misconceptions and curiosity about what sexual experiences are like in later life,” she said. “Overall, increased awareness, education, and open dialogue about sex and aging can help eliminate the mystery and promote healthier attitudes toward sexuality in older age groups.”
The heartening reality is that those who are AARP-aged are still having, enjoying and desiring sex, even when they’re not coupled up. Four out of 10 people ages 65-80 are still sexually active, according to a 2018 study from the National Poll on Healthy Aging. And whether or not they have an active sex life, nearly two-thirds of older adults said they’re interested in sex. More than half said sex is important to their quality of life, according to the same study.
To shed some light on post-70 sex, we asked sex therapists and people over 70 to share some things people should know about sex in the golden years. See what they had to say below.
