Despite the body being central to the experience of ageing, little attention has been paid to how relationships may mediate the experience of ageing bodies. This article considers older Australian ...women's accounts of their bodies and of embodied experiences in the context of both long-term and newly formed intimate relationships. Drawn from a broader study of ageing and sexuality, our analyses of semi-structured interviews with 20 women aged 55 to 72 revealed that while women were frequently unhappy with their appearance, this was less important to them in relationships. During sexual intimacy, embodied experience and the capacity for bodies to be sites of pleasure were emphasised. Overall, participants experienced their bodies as sites of negotiation between socially constructed meanings of older bodies and subjectively produced ones, in complex and sometimes contradictory ways that fell outside simple distinctions between social and individual.
A legal definition of rape that exonerates an accused who ‘reasonably believes in consent’ is currently in force in a number of jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Limited ...empirical research has investigated community and professional perceptions of the adequacy and scope of this definition of rape. The present study contributes to qualitative research on ‘reasonable belief in consent’ by analysing key themes from 11 focus group discussions with professionals working in the sexual assault sector (counsellors, health professionals, victim/survivor advocates and police officers), legally trained professionals and community members interested in rape law reform. Across these backgrounds, participants expressed dissatisfaction with this definition of rape because the scope for reasonable belief in consent was seen as overly broad. In particular, participants expected that jurors would draw on a presumption of ‘implied’ or ‘continuing’ consent between former sexual partners to find that belief in consent was ‘reasonable’ when the victim did not protest or resist the assault. As a result, many of our participants were critical that the rape definition effectively maintains the onus on a rape victim/survivor to unequivocally demonstrate non-consent. Participants advocated further law reform to give effect to a more ‘affirmative’ or communicative concept of consent.
Recent research has highlighted the need to explore how specific social contexts influence the occurrence of sexual violence and sexually harassing behaviours. This article considers the occurrence ...of unwanted sexual attention towards young women within the social context of licensed venues in Melbourne, Victoria. Using focus group data from a small qualitative study, three 'characteristics' of unwanted sexual attention are considered: the forms this behaviour takes and how it impacts young women; the nature of the relationship between victim and perpetrator; and the role of venue culture in facilitating this behaviour. It is argued throughout this article that an intersection of broader social norms and the specific social norms and cultural mores of licensed venues creates a social environment that can facilitate the occurrence of unwanted sexual attention, and that restrains the ways in which young women are able to respond to these experiences.
Role empirical research plays or could play in enabling and enhancing law reform - designing and implementing law reform - balancing conflicting demands - improving confidence in the justice process ...- improving experiences of victims or survivors - protecting due process for complainants - interviews with criminal law reform experts.
This qualitative study explored the barriers and facilitators to sexual communication between older adults and friends. Fifty-three women and men aged 58 and older were interviewed about their ...intimate relationships and sexual behaviours and attitudes. Findings indicated that talking about sex with friends played an important role in providing support and sharing information. The privacy of the topic meant that trust and confidentiality had to be in place before sexual conversations occurred, and that discretion was required for those married or in a relationship due to potential breaches of privacy. Stereotypes associated with older age made talking about sex 'risky' as participants were vulnerable to scrutiny. Growing-up during a time when sex was taboo influenced willingness and comfort in talking about sex today. Among those who did talk with friends, women tended to talk to women and men to men. These findings are significant in the context of an increasing global population of older adults and silence around sex and ageing. By exploring sexual communication outside of the healthcare context, where previous research has focused, the findings indicate novel ways to support the sexual health and well-being of older adults.
Objective
Healthcare providers (HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults; however, we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs ...about sex. This article examines older adults' experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex.
Methods
Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 and older recruited from a national, online survey of older Australians. Data were analysed using a thematic approach.
Results
Most participants did not discuss sex with their HCP, and their HCP did not raise it. For those who did discuss sex with a HCP, negative and stigmatising responses were common. Positive responses could facilitate access to sexual health care.
Conclusion
Older people benefit when HCPs are proactive and ask about sexual health. Education in how to talk about sex with older people would also be beneficial for HCPs.
Older people are often excluded from large studies of sexual health, as it is assumed that they are not having sex or are reluctant to talk about sensitive topics and are therefore difficult to ...recruit. We outline the sampling and recruitment strategies from a recent study on sexual health and relationships among older people. Sex, Age and Me was a nationwide Australian study that examined sexual health, relationship patterns, safer-sex practices and STI knowledge of Australians aged 60 years and over. The study used a mixed-methods approach to establish baseline levels of knowledge and to develop deeper insights into older adult's understandings and practices relating to sexual health. Data collection took place in 2015, with 2137 participants completing a quantitative survey and 53 participating in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. As the feasibility of this type of study has been largely untested until now, we provide detailed information on the study's recruitment strategies and methods. We also compare key characteristics of our sample with national estimates to assess its degree of representativeness. This study provides evidence to challenge the assumptions that older people will not take part in sexual health-related research and details a novel and successful way to recruit participants in this area.
Objective
To examine older Australian's perspectives on how their sexual lives can best be supported and/or improved.
Methods
Fifty‐three, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with Australian ...men (n = 30) and women (n = 23) aged 60 and over.
Results
Participants identified a range of key issues and areas where their sexual lives could be further supported or improved upon, including normalising the occurrence of sex and sexual desire in later life; increasing and improving on the quality of, cultural representations of older adults; introducing policy, educational and practice‐based changes in age care facilities to support the consensual sexual expression of residents; and ensuring that sexual health campaigns and education are inclusive of older people.
Conclusion
Our findings present clear implications for further developing sexuality education and public health campaigns, training and education of health‐care professionals, and generating social and cultural change pertaining to the acceptability of the diversity of sexual expression in later life.
This paper examines the preferred sexuality education sources of older Australian adults in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 years and ...older, we consider the sources that participants currently use, or would like to use, in seeking information about sex. Where relevant, we examine participants' experiences of learning about sex in later life using different sources, and the impact these had on their sexual expression, pleasure and well-being. Preferred sources of information include the Internet, the media, health care providers, books and workshops or discussion groups. A substantial number of participants did not actively seek information on sex. For those who had, these educational endeavours could profoundly shape their sexual practices. As such, learning about sex should be viewed as a lifelong endeavour. Our findings carry important implications for the development and delivery of sexuality education for older adults.
This paper examines the role of the research process in shaping the construction of knowledge about sensitive topics in in-depth interviews particularly with regard to researcher identity and ...cultural influences or norms. We argue that these influences shape all aspects of the research process and that researchers will benefit from reflecting upon them when planning, undertaking and interpreting qualitative studies. Drawing on an empirical study interviewing Australian women aged 55 years and older about sexuality we address differences and similarities between researchers and participants; cultural constructions of sexuality and ageing, and generational influences. Using examples from our interview data we interrogate the contribution of each of these aspects to the interview dynamic and the co-production of meaning. Our analysis draws attention to the fluidity of insider and outsider status and to the existence of hidden boundaries that impact on how certain topics can be discussed in interviews. The paper argues that knowledge about sensitive topics such as older people's sexuality must be viewed as a situated occurrence shaped by the particularities of the interview and the cultural context. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for qualitative inquiries into sensitive topics.
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