Sex and the (older) single girl: experiences of sex and dating in later life.

This study explored the sexual subjectivities of older Australian women. In this article we present findings from 15 qualitative interviews with Australian women aged 55-81 who were single at the time of interview. The majority of these women were single following divorce or separation, with a smaller number of women who were widowed or never in a long-term relationship.

Sex, desire and pleasure: considering the experiences of older Australian women.

Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desiring of sex, nor as sexually desirable to others. Broader social and cultural norms that downplay women's sexual desire and agency further compound these phenomena.

STI epidemiology in the global older population: emerging challenges.

This paper reviews the evidence concerning the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with a particular focus on older people. Evidence from North America, Australia, China and Korea clearly shows increasing rates of many STIs in the population group aged 50 years and older. Similar changes are identified in three studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.

HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Sexuality in Later Life.

In this article, we review recent evidence indicating that people over the age of 50 years are increasingly at risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and that-thanks to the success of highly active antiretroviral therapies-those infected with HIV are now living into older age. We show that health professionals and society in general have been reluctant to acknowledge sexuality in older adults. Sexuality until recently has been regarded as merely a matter of male potency and sexual function, whereas older women's sexuality and desires have been ignored.