Generation Viagra

Four in 10 men over the age of 75 are still having sex—or so they say—despite only two in 10 women 75 or older claiming the same, according to a new survey. “The feminist academic Camille Paglia once described sex at age 90 as ‘like trying to shoot pool with a rope.’ But despite her coruscating verdict sexual life expectancy is increasing, researchers say. A study published today shows that among 75 to 85 year olds, four out of 10 men and two out of 10 women are still having sex. All sex surveys based on self reports are bedevilled by the accuracy of measurement. It is hard to be sure whether the gender imbalance shows the resilience of male interest in sex or the resilience of their propensity to boast about it. But the researchers say there is a simpler explanation. Men tend to marry women younger than themselves and die sooner; more women are widowed and thus lack a partner with whom to have sex. Men can therefore look forward to longer active sex lives than women, though women seem unperturbed by it. The study, by academics at Chicago University in the US, estimates for the first time the ‘sexually active life expectancy’ of men and women at different ages.”