Declining activity in older females appears to be related only secondarily to the change of life. Physical symptoms of menopause, many of which are tied directly to steroid deprivation, may interfere with sexual activity. Adverse feelings about self caused by the symbolic meaning of menopause also may depress sexual inclination and activity. An unflattering self-image may produce frustration and anger which then may lead to avoidance of sexual relations or to behaviors perceived negatively by sexual partners which also may depress activity levels. Women, who probably depend more heavily than men on external reinforcement, would be unlikely at such a time to experiment sexually by seeking out a new partner. If the husband or partner shows a lack of interest, it is likely to be internalized by the woman, with behavioral effects. There is no evidence to presume that males, because of their histories of sexual experimentation, are more likely than females to seek new partners in middle-life but from observation this hypothesis seems reasonable.
Because women often outlive men, they often do not have a suitable sexual partner. The double standard enforced since early adulthood suggests that it is inappropriate for females actively to seek out sexual partners. The cultural stereotype of appropriate partners (men with younger women) compounds this problem. There are social pressures against selecting a younger male, and the pool of peers or older men is limited.
Needless to say, there are always individual differences. Many of the stereotyped generalities may be changing as a result of women’s new self-concepts. Traditional roles of behavior seem to be changing. If the cultural stereotypes do influence behavior, the degree to which these stereotypes change will be accompanied by behavioral change.
It is interesting to speculate on the evolutionary significance, if any, of male/female differences in sexual activity as a function of aging. The human female, although losing her ability to reproduce in mid-life, has full sexual capability into old age. Activity levels, however, are low. In the human male, reproductive ability declines only very gradually and for most of the aging population, is never lost completely. The capacity for sexual functioning changes much more with age and activity and although it slows with age, is still present in very old men.
The differences in activity levels between males and females can be attributed on the average to different primary variables. For females, external support is probably most important and is absent for a large percentage of older women. For males, declines are due primarily to changes in capacity inasmuch as environmental support is available throughout life.
If one accepts the premise that the raison d’etre of a species and every individual in that species is reproduction and therefore survival, male/female differences in sexual activity and interest at every age can be tied to differences in strategies of reproduction. High levels of interest and activity among males increase their chances of contributing to the gene pool. Females, on the other hand, should be more selective and discriminating because of their great biological investment in procreation.
In strictly evolutionary terms, it is clearly more adaptive for males (who have reproductive ability) than for females to maintain interest and activity in old age. Females who are no longer reproductively capable have no real need for continued interest and activity.
For many nonhuman mammalian species, death marks the end of reproduction/reproductive ability. In the human, technology has altered the course of selection. Great control of the environment has probably increased the life span; this artificial longevity may have occurred in the absence of selective pressures. If this is so, behavioral differences between aged males and females may represent artifacts which have no evolutionary significance whatsoever!
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