Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Aging and sexuality: concepts, issues, and research methods
- 2 Sexuality in the aged male; research evidence
- 3 The neurobiology of aging males' sexuality
- 4 Psychological aspects of aging males' sexuality
- 5 Aging and marital sexuality
- 6 Aging and homosexual relationships
- 7 The social context
- 8 The nature and prevalence of sexual disorders in the aged
- 9 Impact of medical illnesses on sexuality
- 10 Psychopathology and sexuality in aging
- 11 Effects of drugs and medications
- 12 Role of psychosocial factors; coping and adaptation
- 13 Assessment of sexual problems
- 14 Management and treatment of sexual problems
- 15 Summary and conclusions
- Index
5 - Aging and marital sexuality
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 June 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Aging and sexuality: concepts, issues, and research methods
- 2 Sexuality in the aged male; research evidence
- 3 The neurobiology of aging males' sexuality
- 4 Psychological aspects of aging males' sexuality
- 5 Aging and marital sexuality
- 6 Aging and homosexual relationships
- 7 The social context
- 8 The nature and prevalence of sexual disorders in the aged
- 9 Impact of medical illnesses on sexuality
- 10 Psychopathology and sexuality in aging
- 11 Effects of drugs and medications
- 12 Role of psychosocial factors; coping and adaptation
- 13 Assessment of sexual problems
- 14 Management and treatment of sexual problems
- 15 Summary and conclusions
- Index
Summary
The substantial increase in life span since the beginning of the twentieth century has had notable consequences for the social relationships of older individuals. As society norms and attitudes have become less restrictive, there has been increased fluidity in the development and realignment of partnerships encompassing marriage, separation, divorce, remarriage, extramarital, and same-sex relationships. Although this range of possibilities has greatly expanded sexual options, marriage remains the most prevalent social arrangement within which normatively sanctioned sexual experiences take place. Because women have a longer life expectancy and men tend to be older when they marry, and marry more frequently, there are marked age-related gender differences in opportunities for sexual partnerships (Figure 5.1). The percentages of men married at ages 55–69, 75–79 and 85 and older are 93, 82 and 80% respectively. In contrast, the percentages of women who are married within the same age spans are 66, 40 and 18% respectively (US Bureau of the Census, 1985).
Marital status is associated with marked differences in the number of sexual partners. In a full-probability cross-sectional survey of the adult population of the United States conducted in 1989 (Smith, 1991), the widowed reported the fewest sexual partners during the preceding year (a mean of 0.21), followed by the married (0.96), the divorced (1.31), the never married (1.84) and the separated (2.41). There was a gradual decline with age in the mean number of sexual partners from 1.7 partners among individuals younger than 30 years of age to 0.35 among those older than 70. The age-related decreases in the number of partners and the frequency of intercourse remained significant even when marital status and gender were controlled for.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Aging and Male Sexuality , pp. 74 - 89Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1999