In a society where vitality, strength and stamina are emphasized and often associated with sexuality, the aging population might feel alienated. It’s not uncommon for the younger individuals to visualize older adults as being sexually inactive and finding it distasteful if the opposite is argued. Said perspective might be encouraged by the media, which depicts sex as something of the young. With the current advances in medicine, the number of elders is increasing and even though their body is not as efficient as it is in its youth, older adults don’t lose its libido and interest in sexuality. Interestingly enough sexual desire doesn’t seem to decrease with age, so it begs to ask the question why the reluctant attitude against the association
…show more content…
Even though it may be psychologically distressing to talk about this topic, it is important to educate younger generations about it, considering research which suggests that “There is a strong link between a healthy sex life and higher quality of life as individuals ages” (Thomas, pg. 336). The erroneous stereotype about the lack of sexual activity in the aging population also has impact health wise since its expected that half of the HIV population of the country will be comprised of aging adults (Dispenza, pg. 36). Such evidence shows that sexuality in late adulthood should be discussed more openly to continue the sex education of younger adults so that health risks in the future can be …show more content…
Horny old buggers, dirty old men are a few of the commonly used terms to illustrate how society regards older people who are still interested on sex. Such derogatory expressions further point out the high level of discomfort in this youth oriented pop culture with the idea of elder people intimacy. Sexual views in the United States tend to be biologically essentialist, tending to reinforce the belief that sexuality should be only associated with reproduction. These societal beliefs contribute to the disregard of older adult sexual needs, and might force the aging population to internalize these constructs, leading them towards sex inactivity which in many cases leads to depression and a low self-esteem since humans are known for being highly sexual
Even though it may be psychologically distressing to talk about this topic, it is important to educate younger generations about it, considering research which suggests that “There is a strong link between a healthy sex life and higher quality of life as individuals ages” (Thomas, pg. 336). The erroneous stereotype about the lack of sexual activity in the aging population also has impact health wise since its expected that half of the HIV population of the country will be comprised of aging adults (Dispenza, pg. 36). Such evidence shows that sexuality in late adulthood should be discussed more openly to continue the sex education of younger adults so that health risks in the future can be …show more content…
Horny old buggers, dirty old men are a few of the commonly used terms to illustrate how society regards older people who are still interested on sex. Such derogatory expressions further point out the high level of discomfort in this youth oriented pop culture with the idea of elder people intimacy. Sexual views in the United States tend to be biologically essentialist, tending to reinforce the belief that sexuality should be only associated with reproduction. These societal beliefs contribute to the disregard of older adult sexual needs, and might force the aging population to internalize these constructs, leading them towards sex inactivity which in many cases leads to depression and a low self-esteem since humans are known for being highly sexual