Is sex popular among older Americans?

Jet, Oct 19, 1998

There are a lot of things that interest young people that may not tickle the fancy of older Americans.

Sex is not one of them.

A recent study released by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) showed that despite the myths people believe, sex is popular with older Americans.

According to the survey, nearly half of all Americans, 48 percent, age 60 or older engage in sexual activity at least once a month.

"Our study debunks the prevailing myths about sexuality in older years," said James Firman, president and CEO of NCOA. "For many older Americans, sex remains an important and vital part of their lives."

And not only are older Americans having sex, they are wanting more of it.

The survey of 1,300 men and women revealed that while 39 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied with the amount of sex they currently have, 39 percent said they want more frequent sex. Men were more than twice as likely as women to report wanting more sex, 56 percent to 25 percent.

However, it is believed that the percentage of women wanting more sex is actually higher. Women are just too shy to be truthful about their sexual appetite.

"Remember that older women have been raised to believe it's not quite lady-like, not quite nice to have a very strong sexual desire. And women tend to be content with what they're having and not ask for more," Dr. Marian Dunn, director of the Center for Human Sexuality at the State University of New York in Brookhaven, told NBC's "Today."

And what about being satisfied? Older Americans are not just having sex, they are having good sex. Forty three percent say sex is physically just as good or better than in their youth.

In addition, 74 percent of the sexually active men and 70 percent of the sexually active women said they are as satisfied or even more satisfied emotionally with their sex life than they were in their 40s.

For the most part men and women in their 60s are the most sexually active. Seventy-one percent of men and 51 percent of women in their 60s are sexually active compared to 57 percent of men and 30 percent of women in their 70s.

Older men are more sexually active than older women the survey showed, 61 percent vs. 37 percent, However, it's not because women are not interested.

"It's usually because of a lack of a partner," Firman said on "Today." "Older women are much likely to be widowed than older men. In fact, the ratio of widows to widowers is five to one."

Only 19 percent of widows and widowers are sexually active, compared to 59 percent of married men and women. And older men are more likely than older women to be married and have sex partners.

But a lack of partners is not the only reason for some older Americans not having sex.

Those who said they are not sexually active attributed it to a combination of reasons. Usually, Firman said, it's a medical problem, usually of the male. Or it could be prescription drugs that they are taking which suppress desire.

Many of the adults surveyed were not very knowledgeable when it came to sexual issues. For instance they believed that losing desire was a natural and inevitable part of growing older.

But Dr. Dunn said it's very normal to continue having a sexual desire as people age.

"We all have differences in sexual appetite. And some people have a stronger drive than others. But if someone wants to remain sexually active, aging does not interfere. You still see a lot of people with a twinkle in their eyes."

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