Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Ageism, mistaken beliefs complicate acceptance of older adults’ sexuality

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — More than 25% of the young adults surveyed in a recent study mistakenly believed that sexual activity increases older adults’ risk of heart attack and that disinterest in sex is a normal and inevitable part of aging. While most of those in the study had permissive views about sexual activity in later life, the findings also shed light on the misconceptions and ageist views that can infringe on older adults’ rights to sexual expression.

More than 270 young adults ages 18-35 participated in the study, which assessed their level of knowledge about sexuality in older adulthood, their general attitudes toward sex and their perceptions of it as a leisure activity that offers numerous benefits and purposes beyond procreation. 

Published in the journal Leisure Sciences, the study was conducted by researchers Liza Berdychevsky, a professor of recreation, sport and tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Iulia Fratila, a professor of global and community health at George Mason University.

Those surveyed had only a moderate level of knowledge about sexuality in later life. However, their permissive attitudes contrasted with some prior studies that found that younger people – especially women – tended to hold negative, narrow-minded beliefs about sex among older adults, Berdychevsky and Fratila found. 

“Our findings suggest that young adults tend to exhibit increasing levels of tolerance, acceptance and open-mindedness about later-life sexuality,” said Fratila, who earned her doctorate from the U. of I. in 2022.

“How much young adults know about later-life sexuality does not necessarily explain their ageist perceptions,” Berdychevsky said. “And sociodemographic characteristics such as gender did not matter either, to our surprise.

“However, their general views of sexuality and sex as a recreational activity do explain quite a lot about young adults’ views on sexuality in later life. That is particularly important because it provides insight for developing sexual health education programs that focus on sexuality as a lifelong pursuit.”

Liberal attitudes about sexuality in general and among older adults in particular were associated with a strong view of sex as a leisure activity among the young adults surveyed. Prominent organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Association for Sexual Health have adopted this perspective, highlighting the leisure qualities of sex, including sexual pleasure, autonomy, self-determination and sexual rights for all.

Berdychevsky found in her prior research that leisurely characteristics such as playfulness, experimentation, connection, intrinsic motivation and instant gratification are often adults’ motivations for engaging in sexual activity. Likewise, older adults who viewed sex as a recreational activity found it helpful in coping with crises and challenging life transitions such as retirement and empty nest syndrome, according to a study published in 2018 that Berdychevsky co-wrote with Galit Nimrod, a professor of communication studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Both of those studies also were published in Leisure Sciences.

Despite ageist societal views that sexuality has an expiration date, studies have shown that most adults continue to have healthy, fulfilling sex lives well into their 80s and 90s. Sexual activity in later life also offers numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular function, relaxation, and decreased pain sensitivity and depressive symptoms, researchers found.

Regardless of its numerous physical and psychological benefits, older adults’ sexual rights are especially vulnerable to marginalization and neglect, reflecting societal misconceptions that they are not and should not be sexually active, Berdychevsky said. 

Accordingly, some respondents in the current study indicated they would avoid admitting a relative to a nursing home if the facility permitted and supported sexual activity among its residents. 

“There’s some research suggesting that young adults tend to have these ageist attitudes toward sexuality because of their own fears of aging and mortality,” Berdychevsky said. “It is oxymoronic when you think about it, because if we are lucky, we will have the opportunity to grow old. And who would want their own sexuality to be discriminated against or neglected in later life? Mitigating these ageist stereotypes to leverage sexuality’s benefits throughout the lifespan will be beneficial for everybody.”

Editor’s notes: 

 

To reach Liza Berdychevsky, call 217-244-2971; email lizabk@illinois.edu

 

The paper “Young adults’ acceptance of later-life sexuality is predicted by their general sexual attitudes and viewing sex as leisure” is available online or from the News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2023.2273382

 

The paper “Sex as leisure as a coping mechanism with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex life” is available online or from the News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2022.2127432

The paper “Sex as leisure in later life: A netnographic approach” is available online or from the News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2016.1189368

Read Next

Health and medicine Life sciences Veterinary medicine Two men in a lab. The seated man holds a hologram projection of a brain.

Mutation increases enzyme in mouse brains linked to schizophrenia behaviors

Researchers found a key role for an enzyme regulating glycine in the brain while investigating a rare genetic mutation found in two patients with schizophrenia.

Honors A photo collage featuring all three Sloan Fellowship awardees.

Three Illinois professors named Sloan Research Fellows

Three Illinois scientists are among 126 recipients of the 2025 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. According to the foundation, the awardees represent “the very best of early-career science, embodying the creativity, ambition, and rigor that drive discovery forward.” This year’s Illinois recipients are chemistry professors Angad Mehta and Lisa Olshansky, and materials science and engineering professor Yingjie Zhang.

Life sciences Graphic with the title "42nd Insect Fear Film Festival" in a scary font and with a picture of a tarantula.

Insect Fear Film Festival to feature ‘hairy, scary’ tarantulas

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2025 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will feature “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders” as its theme and a Hollywood bug wrangler who works with the 8-legged creatures as a special guest. The festival, which is hosted by the Entomology Graduate Student Association and is in its 42nd […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010