The Role of Religion in Shaping Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction: Evidence from Married and Unmarried Older Adults

• Published in: The Journal of sex research Vol. 48; no. 2-3; pp. 297 - 308
• Main Authors: McFarland, Michael J., Uecker, Jeremy E., Regnerus, Mark D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01.03.2011; Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alimony; American people; Christianity; Correlation analysis; Elderly; Elderly people; EMPIRICAL ARTICLES; Everyday Life; Female; Health; Human sexual behavior; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Men; Middle Aged; Older adults; Older people; Personal Satisfaction; Pleasure; Protestantism; Religion; Religion and Sex; Religions; Religiosity; Religious aspects; Satisfaction; Sexual Behavior; Sexual behaviour; Single Person - psychology; Single status; Social Integration; Spouses - psychology; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0022-4499; 1559-8519
• DOI: 10.1080/00224491003739993

This study assesses the role of religion in influencing sexual frequency and satisfaction among older married adults and sexual activity among older unmarried adults. The study proposes and tests several hypotheses about the relationship between religion and sex among these two groups of older Americans, using nationally representative data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Results suggest that among married older adults, religion is largely unrelated with sexual frequency and satisfaction, although religious integration in daily life shares a weak, but positive, association with pleasure from sex. For unmarried adults, such religious integration exhibits a negative association with having had sex in the last year among women, but not among men.