Dating and sexualities across the life course: The interactive effects of aging and gender
- PMID: 34082993
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2021.100921
Dating and sexualities across the life course: The interactive effects of aging and gender
Abstract
Research on aging and sexuality has proliferated in recent years. However, little is known about the gender-specific effects of aging on dating and sexuality. Using survey data from the 2014 wave of Singles in America (SIA), a comprehensive survey on adult singles' experiences with dating and sexuality, we examine whether age differentially affects heterosexual women's and men's dating and sexual attitudes and behaviors and whether gender differences persist across the life course. We find that men remain active in the dating and sexual marketplace longer than women. Although main effects of gender differences are documented in dating and sexual attitudes and behaviors, the results show that gender does not operate the same across the life course. Notably, gender differences shrink or are eliminated in attitudes and behaviors surrounding partnering in midlife and late adulthood, suggesting that age is integral to understanding gendered heterosexuality.
Keywords: Aging; Gender; Intimate relationships; Life course; Sexualities.
Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Why Might Women Justify Dating Violence? The Role of Men's Sexual Objectification of Their Romantic Partners Within Heterosexual Relationships.J Interpers Violence. 2023 Oct;38(19-20):10664-10685. doi: 10.1177/08862605231175515. Epub 2023 May 25. J Interpers Violence. 2023. PMID: 37227007
-
Age and embodied masculinities: midlife gay and heterosexual men talk about their bodies.J Aging Stud. 2013 Aug;27(3):225-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2013.03.004. Epub 2013 Apr 22. J Aging Stud. 2013. PMID: 23849420 Free PMC article.
-
Americans' Gender Attitudes at the Intersection of Sexual Orientation and Gender.J Homosex. 2019;66(2):141-172. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1398022. Epub 2017 Dec 29. J Homosex. 2019. PMID: 29072535
-
Optimizing HIV prevention for women: a review of evidence from microbicide studies and considerations for gender-sensitive microbicide introduction.J Int AIDS Soc. 2015 Dec 21;18(1):20536. doi: 10.7448/IAS.18.1.20536. eCollection 2015. J Int AIDS Soc. 2015. PMID: 26700845 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Women's sexual health in later life: Gaps and opportunities in research and practice.Womens Health (Lond). 2019 Jan-Dec;15:1745506519878092. doi: 10.1177/1745506519878092. Womens Health (Lond). 2019. PMID: 31564223 Free PMC article. Review.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources