Sex, desire and pleasure: considering the experiences of older Australian women

Title
Sex, desire and pleasure: considering the experiences of older Australian women
Publication Date
2015
Author(s)
Fileborn, Bianca
Thorpe, Rachel
Hawkes, Gail
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9073-5777
Email: ghawkes@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:ghawkes
Minichiello, Victor
Pitts, Marian
Dune, Tinashe
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Routledge
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1080/14681994.2014.936722
UNE publication id
une:17543
Abstract
Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desiring of sex, nor as sexually desirable to others. Broader social and cultural norms that downplay women's sexual desire and agency further compound these phenomena. Whether this popular image accurately reflects older women's sexual desires, behaviour and capacity to experience pleasure is unclear. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 43 partnered Australian women aged 55-81, this article considers women's sexual experiences and desires in older age. The findings of our research confirm that older women's experiences of sex and sexual desire are diverse and fluid. Some of the factors that influenced participants' sexual behaviour and desire will be considered in this article, as will their understandings of what 'counts' as sexual satisfaction and 'successful sex'. The factors affecting sexual behaviour and desire also influence the way in which women are able to negotiate sexual interaction with their partners. Participants expressed a need for education and resources in order to gain greater control and to make autonomous choices over their sexual experiences, desire and ability to give and receive pleasure. The implications of these findings for practitioners are also considered.
Link
Citation
Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 30(1), p. 117-130
ISSN
1468-1749
1468-1994
Start page
117
End page
130

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