Rapports à la conjugalité et à la sexualité chez les personnes âgées en Allemagne

Recognition and inequalities in older adults' sexuality in Chile

“…Data examined in these pages shows that Chilean older adults, both men and women, see sexuality as a key part of their lives. This is consistent with international evidence from studies in the United States (McWilliams and Barrett, 2012 ; Brown and Shinohara, 2013 ), Germany (Schlagdenhauffen, 2011 ), France (Bozon et al, 2018 ), Spain (Bretin and Gómez-Bueno, 2011 ), United Kingdom and Australia (Portellos et al, 2023 ), indicating that the renewed interest in older sexualities would be akin to a new “sexual revolution” (Curley and Johnson, 2022 ). Bozon ( 2013 ) points out that this may lead to a new norm: to be in a relationship is to have a sexual life, at any age.…”

“…In a similar vein, the differences found by socio-economic level provide evidence to support the hypothesis that is cultural and social conditions -not biology only- that are crucial to allow older people to have an enjoyable sex life (Schlagdenhauffen, 2011 ). Higher levels of education and income supply individuals with key symbolic resources -access to better information, more critical views on religious and gendered social norms- to deal with the life challenges that aging might bring; but also with material conditions, such as better health care and nutrition and a place where they can have privacy, to mention some, that favor physical intimacy (Gore-Gorszewska et al, 2023 ).…”

“…According to Gore-Gorszewska et al ( 2023 ), generally speaking older adults in long-term intimate relationships benefit from the established intimacy and engage in partnered sex well into later life because it strengthens their bond, enhances their love, and conveys commitment. Contrary to common-sense perception, desire and the sex drive do not necessarily fade with the years, albeit their expression changes throughout the life cycle (Schlagdenhauffen, 2011 ; Bozon, 2013 ; Dominguez and Barbagallo, 2016 ). Our results suggest that gender and class also play a key role in influencing the way older adults see their relationship with sexuality, although the percentage of individuals holding a romantic partnership (higher than the national average) might tint this perception.…”