New US Study Finds Older Women Use Sextoys More Often and Have More Orgasms
Over sixty is sexy: “I’ll have more of what she’s having”
A new study has concluded that more older women in the United States are using sextoys, and having more orgasms when they do, in both solo and partnered sex. These conclusions are based on a representative sample of 3,001 female-identified respondents over the age of 60.
A November 26th press release from The Menopause Society just announced these results, based on a study conducted by researchers from The Kinsey Institute and Department of Gender Studies, both at Indiana University at Bloomington, and was fielded in 2023 by Prodege, a professional data collection site.
Though it’s tempting to describe these results as the Golden Age of Sextech meets the Golden Years and leave it at that, the truth is, one of the reasons for this is hardly surprising. Researchers said “COVID-19 may also have influenced the use of sextoys, since reports indicated a spike in the sale of sextoys during the pandemic.”
Of the women who reported masturbating at least once in the last year, 46.4% used toys almost always or always during masturbation, compared with 5.1% who used sextoys almost always or always during partnered sex. Those who reported almost always or always using sextoys during masturbation were significantly more likely to report always or almost always having an orgasm compared with the lower frequency sextoy users.
The researchers also suggest that due to a growing number of older women living alone, sex-toy companies have recognized them as a unique market, increasingly designing and marketing toys specifically for women in this demographic.
Someone old, something new—try a toy and don’t be blue!
Let’s face it, the physical changes that come with aging aren’t always enjoyable. For people with female-assigned bodies, some of those changes include the thinning of vaginal tissue, leading to dryness and discomfort; differences in hormone levels; and other results of menopause and beyond.
These changes, combined with factors such as the loss of a partner or partners, illnesses or other physical challenges, and feelings of being invisible and undesirable in a culture that seemingly only values youthful beauty, make it easy enough to give up on your sex life and just f-f-f-fade away (Boomers, you’ll get this reference, I hope).
Or at least, that’s how it used to be. Now, with the internet absolutely bursting with sextoy companies, especially ones that are female or queer-owned, and an array of clitoral, vaginal, anal, and nipple toys, plus lubricants—not to mention immensely useful senior sex ed websites like Joan Price’s—the only real barrier to accessing new pleasures might be financial.
Even the American Association of Retired People (AARP) has gotten into supporting erotic elders with blogs like “10 Top Sex Ed Tips for Those 50 and Older.” Better yet, try Kinkly’s “How to Have a Fulfilling Sex Life After 50” as it’s better informed.
Why not enjoy yourself more than once a year?
The benefits of an active sex life or fairly frequent bouts of self-pleasure are well-known. WebMD lists diminished stress, improved sleep, boosted immune system, pain relief, and many other advantages of sexual intimacy, with Healthline and AARP having similar lists.
That said, these sorts of lists may be discouraging for single people, which is where masturbation and sextoys come in; especially important for people to know who live in female-shaped bodies.
Back to the study: 1,451 of the 3,001 participants said they masturbate, but a surprising 89 of them only did it once a year! 528 said they did it a few times a year. 394 said they self-pleasured a few times a month, 137 said they did it a few times a week and 10—“those few, those happy few” (Shakespearean scholars, you’ll forgive the paraphrase from Henry V, I hope)—did it at least once a day.
649 respondents said they always experienced orgasm during masturbation and another 462 said they almost always did. 212 always used sextoys during masturbation and 166 almost always did. However, 814 of the 1,451 respondents had at least tried using a sextoy at least once during masturbation. The most popular toy types for both masturbation and partner sex were penetrative toys and external vibrators.
Almost all of the respondents who said they self-pleasure indicated they would like to have more sex, though it is not clear if it was partnered sex they wanted more of). But since only 612 of 3,001 respondents said they had partner sex at least once within the last year, we might assume this is what they meant.
Give yourself over to absolute pleasure
Life is short and its pleasures may be fleeting, so why not reach for a sextoy or a
partner—or both—every chance you get? The more pleasure, the better, right? When you feel crummy or in pain, a jolt of joy might be just what you need. We all need to permit ourselves to enjoy what our bodies can give us, more often than not.
But maybe many people don’t, because they don’t understand the benefits of pleasure, or feel intimidated or shy about exploring their options. The researchers suggest that older women and female-identified people would benefit “from information from health care professionals about sex, masturbation, and orgasm. Studies indicate, however, that only a small proportion of older adults seek professional help for sexual concerns.” And that’s a shame, because professional help does exist!
The significance of this study, and others like it, cannot be overstated:
Rather than supporting ageist assumptions about lack of interest in sextoys or orgasm among older adults, this study demonstrates that many older adults use sextoys and that their use promotes orgasm. In this regard, there may be more similarities than differences between younger and older adults. Orgasm, in turn, may promote positive health outcomes that could improve overall health and well-being in older adults.
‘Nuff said.
Image source: A.R. Marsh using Ideogram.ai
