Sex Remains a Part of Seniors' Lives

If you think sex is just a pastime of the young, have we got news for you: According to a recent study at the University of Chicago, plenty of people eligible for AARP discounts are getting busy on a regular basis. And while sexual frequency does decline with age, sex is still a vital part of life for a significant number of seniors.

The study, called the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, focused on more than 3,000 seniors, some of whom had spouses or partners and some of whom were single. The youngest group, those aged 57 to 64, were the most likely to be sexually active, with 84 percent of men and 62 percent of women reporting that they'd had sex the previous year. Among those ages 65 to 74, 67 percent of the men and 40 percent of the women said they'd had sex the previous year, and among those aged 75 to 85, 39 percent of the men and 17 percent of the women indicated they had engaged in sex. The study also covered different types of sexual behaviors and found that a significant number of seniors engaged in activities other than traditional intercourse, although those numbers declined with age.

Also interesting were the study participants' views toward the importance of sex in a relationship. Across all age groups, roughly two-thirds of participants said sex was essential to keeping a relationship healthy. When asked if they agreed with the statement that sex was not an important part of life, most said no. Only 6 percent of men in the youngest age group agreed with that statement, compared with 14 percent of men aged 65 to 74 and 26 percent of the oldest men. Sex was somewhat less important to women, with 24 percent of the youngest women agreeing with the statement, 35 percent of the women aged 65 to 74 agreeing, and 52 percent of the oldest women agreeing. In fact, of the respondents who said that they hadn't had sex recently, most were not avoiding it out of lack of interest but because of health problems or physical limitations that they or their partners had.



Source: Waite LG, Laumann E O, Das A, Schumm L P, "Sexuality: Measures of Partnerships, Practices, Attitudes, and Problems in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Study." University of Chicago, 2009.