“The Body May Not Be the Same, But the Heart Still Needs Love”: Exploring Older Nigerians’ Gendered Views on Sexual Stereotypes in Older Age

Objectives Sexual desire in older age is predicated on contextual factors such as underlying health conditions, personal lifestyle choices, and cultural and religious beliefs. Yet, many believe that older adults, especially older women, are without sexual desires because of their age and gender. This descriptive qualitative study explored perceptions of sexual stereotypes among older adults in rural Nigeria. To understand what older adults think about the stereotypes, with the aim of promoting positive views about sexual desires in older age.Methods Twenty-four older adults aged 65 years and older were recruited using a purposive sampling technique from a rural community in Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, managed and organized with NVivo12 software, and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results Two main themes were identified from the analysis. The first theme highlights participants’ perception on loss of sexual desire in older age, with subthemes. The second theme describes participants’ opinions on efforts to end sexual stereotypes and identifies change agents. Overall, findings reflect mixed opinions about sexual needs and desires in older age.Conclusions Most of the participants believed that sexual needs are human needs that should not be excluded because of their age. There is a need for community educational programs to address stereotypes, especially within the rural Nigerian context.