Hello, friends.
We’re going to talk about sex today.
I’m excited, and I’m sure you are too.
Yeaaahhh.
Hmm?
What’s that?
Old people sex.
Oh.
Now I’m less excited.
Well?
No, definitely less excited.
Hey everyone, Matt Lieberman here for DNews.
Sex is a complex and divisive subject.
Our cultural opinion of it, unfortunately, is still rooted in the puritanical views exhibited
not even that long ago.
No matter how accepted healthy sexual lives and appetites become, it’s still easy to
fall into the trap of “that’s naughty or taboo”.
Which, sometimes can be half the fun.
However, why is it that when more and more empirical evidence emerges about 70 and 80
year-olds having sex, young people respond with a collective “Gross”?
In a recent study of human sexuality by the Manchester University and NatCen Social Research,
they found that 54% of men and 31% of women over the age of 70 are having sex at least
twice a month.
Now depending who you are, that might sound like a little or a lot.
However, it certainly flies in the face of your image of Grandma or Grandpa.
That probably was a poor choice of words.
This is the first study of its kind, interviewing over 7000 people, including octagenarians,
or 80+ year olds, for the very first time.
The fact is, people can and will be sexually active until they can’t be anymore, which
has less to do with aging and more to do with declining sexual health.
39% of the men interviewed dealt with issues of erectile dysfunction, while 32% of women
reported that it was difficult to become sexually aroused.
However, a 2012 study from Elsevier revealed that female sexual satisfaction only increases
with age.
The study group, which had an average age of 67 years and was 63% post-menopausal, was
able to achieve orgasm in over 67% of sexual encounters.
So it seems like sexual enjoyment and appetite do not abate much as we age.
If we think about it, when we’re their age, wouldn’t we also want to be able to have
sex?
So why does it seem to bother or shock so many young people?
Well first off, especially in the US, ageism is rampant.
In his book Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Against Older Persons, Todd D. Nelson points
out that Americans revere individuality and control over what happens to their bodies.
Aging is an anxious reminder of our own mortality, and that our bodies will one day fail us.
Septua and Octogenarian sex is a fight against our own failing bodies, often requiring medications
and lubricants to maintain sex lives that reflect our appetites.
We may say that we just don’t want to picture our Grammy or Grampy getting hanky and panky,
but when we look at them what we see are ourselves.
We are all going to age and elderly sex will only become more prevalent.
So maybe it’s time to accept and, dare I say it, appreciate that our grandparents are
gettin-gettin it.
Or maybe not.
Does elderly sex gross you out or are you cool with it?
Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe here for more DNews.