6.7: Sexual Happiness

The most important indicator of the sexual happiness of older Americans is having a steady sex partner. That indicator is less important than the frequency of sexual intercourse, good health, low levels of stress, and the absence of financial worries. There are still behavioral differences between older men and women, and older men and women continue to rank the importance of sex and the enjoyment of sex differently—even as they age. Older men continue to have more sex and think about sex more than older women; they see it as more important to their quality of life. Older men report having more frequent orgasms than women (2 out of 3 men, compared with 1 in 3 women), but their frequency of orgasm drops with age. Older men are twice as likely (21% compared with 11%) to admit sexual activity outside their relationship than women.

---