Back to retirees — one might assume that, with all the free time alone and the lack of job-related pressures, the sex lives of retirees would blossom, if for no other reason than to add a diversion on days when there’s nothing else to do. But we actually found the reverse – retirees have sex less often in comparison to their counterparts still in the workforce. The drop off is pretty substantial; not only does the frequency decline, but retirees rate their sex lives less favorably overall and feel it has suffered since they retired. Here’s some of the statistics:
- Only about 75% of those retired have sex regularly (at least once per month) versus 90% among those of the same age who are employed. The average frequency is 4.9 times per month among retirees as compared to 8.8 times for those still working.
- This is not solely a matter of being “older people”, but seems to be a function of retirement itself. Among those 55-64 years of age, sexual intimacy occurs 5.9 times per month among retirees, versus 9.6 times among those still working; for those 65 and older, 3.6 times per month for retirees vs. 5.7 times among employees.
- Only 39% of retirees rate their sex life as excellent or very good versus 50% among those still in the workforce. In fact, about 3 of 10 of all retirees say their sex lives got worse after they retired, and only 13% say it has gotten better.
I haven’t trusted polls since I read that 62% of women have sex on their lunch hour. I’ve never met a woman in my life who would give up lunch for sex.
-Irma Bombeck
