Review of 'Sexuality & Ageing', edited by Walter Pierre Bouman and Peggy J. Kleinplatz. New York, Routledge, 2016, xii C 186 pp., UK£95.00 (hardcover), ISBN 978-1-138-93263-0

Abstract

'Sexuality & Ageing' offers a refreshing alternative to the deterministic perspective of ageing as an inevitable journey of sexual dysfunction and increasing decrepitude. This book presents interdisciplinary research from a variety of authors who challenge this view. Sexuality across the life course is represented as a series of choices often within one's control. Distinctions are made between sexual changes due to illness and medications, as opposed to ageing per se. Sociocultural and psychosocial factors are explored, including the attitudes of health professionals, aged care providers and older people themselves. Most importantly, rather than presenting older people as a homogenous group, a rich diversity of experiences is presented beyond heteronormative stereotypes.