Faculty Publications
Love, Sex, & Aging: Gendered Perspective on Relationship Desires and Satisfaction in Older Adulthood
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Keywords
gender, older adults, relationships, sexual satisfaction
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Social Sciences
Volume
14
Issue
11
First Page
1
Last Page
14
Abstract
This research explores gender differences in long- and short-term relationships and sexual satisfaction among older adults. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory posits that as people age, they prioritize immediate emotional satisfaction due to perceptions of limited time. This shift influences older adults’ romantic relationships, increasing the likelihood of seeking meaningful connections and reducing the prevalence of negative emotions. With healthy relationships linked to physical, psychological, and financial benefits, research is needed to further understand older adult romantic relationships. Older adults (n = 155) from the Seniors Together in Aging Research (STAR) completed a survey assessing relationship preferences and current and predicted sexual satisfaction. T-tests were used to determine gender differences. Several gender differences were noted. Men reported greater levels of sexual satisfaction and predicted more positive future sex as compared to women. Men placed greater importance on long-term relationships. There was no gender difference in short-term relationship importance. Women may have shorter-term relationship desires to avoid taking on caregiving. This aligns with previous research indicating that when seeking new relationships, women are cautious about the potential of providing care to a partner. Greater sexual satisfaction reported by men aligns with previous research noting that men tend to be more sexually satisfied throughout the lifespan.
Department
Department of Family, Aging and Counseling
Original Publication Date
11-10-2025
Object Description
1 PDF File
DOI of published version
10.3390/socsci14110659
Repository
UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
Copyright
©2025 The Author(s)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Henninger, William; Heinz, Melinda; and Taylor, Nathan, "Love, Sex, & Aging: Gendered Perspective on Relationship Desires and Satisfaction in Older Adulthood" (2025). Faculty Publications. 6874.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/6874
Comments
First published in Social Sciences, v14 i11 published by MDPI. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110659