ARE OLDER MEN TAKING SEXUALITY AS PRESCRIBED?

Author: Hughes Jonathan  

Publisher: Routledge Ltd

ISSN: 1465-3303

Source: Australian Feminist Studies, Vol.26, Iss.67, 2011-03, pp. : 89-102

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Abstract

Representations of male heterosexuality as a dominant sexuality are predicated on heterosexual penis use. These are subject to changing social prescriptions now augmented by drugs like Viagra. It is generally assumed that men will conform to the expectations created by these prescriptions. However, this study of the accounts of 10 older men (55-69) showed that such prescriptions were just one factor. Attitudes towards sex and experiences over a lifetime interacted with social norms and pharmaceutical products. Sometimes these interactions showed elements of conformity; sometimes they were the basis for forms of sexual expression that challenged heterosexual norms.