Baby boomers: are they more sexually adventurous?

When divorce happens, there is no shortage of resources to help boomers find their next partner—whether they’re looking for a casual encounter or a lifelong companion. Websites such as Lavalife Prime, Boomer Cupid, and Midlife Matchmaker all create “a much wider net to meet people who are  single,” says Mitchell. There is also a slew of books offering boomers tips on relationships and sex, adds Mitchell, who is the review editor of the Canadian Journal on Aging. A rudimentary search turns up Boomer’s Guide to Sex That (Still) Sizzles, Sex Over Fifty, Baby Boomer Bachelorette, and Older, Wiser, Sexually Smarter, which includes the chapter “From problems to possibilities: sexuality, aging, disabilities and chronic illness.”

Even Health Canada has a brochure on sex late in life. While not aimed specifically at boomers, the list of reasons to have sex is enticing, especially if one is as concerned about staying young as this generation is famous for: having sex can apparently strengthen bones and muscles, boost the immune system, prevent wrinkles around the eyes, and is the exercise equivalent of walking up two flights of stairs.

There is one serious worry among experts, however, when discussing boomer sex: that they’re not doing it safely. Only one in five boomers who are single and sexually active said they use condoms regularly, according to the annual AARP sex survey, which was released in May. “The idea of protection wasn’t part of their normal repertoire” when newly single boomers first dated years ago, explains Brock. Others wrongly assume the medications for issues such as erectile dysfunction contain protection, he adds, or that with age they are less susceptible to sexually transmitted infections. Now, researchers are seeing cases of STIs and HIV among older adults. Fortunately, says Mitchell, the growing appreciation of these facts has ignited sex education campaigns that target this group.

Next year, the oldest baby boomers will officially become senior citizens. Given what we know about their active sexual lives today, experts predict no slowing down. “We’ll continue to see a reduction in the views that once you become a certain age you aren’t allowed to be sexual or to have good sexual relationships,” says Mitchell. “I’m pretty positive about the future being rosy for baby boomers.” Maybe even red-hot.