Desexualisation in Later Life: The Limits of Sex and Intimacy

Despite evidence of a more sexually active ‘third age’, ageing and later life (50+) are still commonly represented as a process of desexualisation.

Challenging this assumption and ageist stereotypes, this interdisciplinary volume investigates the experiential and theoretical landscapes of older people’s sexual intimacies, practices and pleasures. Contributors explore the impact of desexualisation in various contexts and across different identities, orientations, relationships and practices.

This enlightening text, reflecting international scholarship, considers how we can distinguish the real challenges faced by older people from the prejudices imposed on them.

Paul Simpson is Lecturer in Ageing at the University of Manchester.

Paul Reynolds is Associate Lecturer at The Open University.

Trish Hafford-Letchfield is Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Strathclyde.