Cougars on the prowl? New perceptions of older women's sexuality

The “Cougar” Phenomenon: An Examination of the Factors That Influence Age‐Hypogamous Sexual Relationships Among Middle‐Aged Women

“…Recent scholarship points to a number of social factors that could explain why, still to this day, few women compared to men choose younger partners. Although it is undeniable that North American women today enjoy more economic, social, and sexual freedom compared to earlier generations (see Kamen, ; Montemurro & Siefken, ; Mundy, ; Nielsen & Rudberg, ; Vanier Institute of the Family, ), women's sexuality still faces much more societal regulation than men's, a phenomenon often referred to as the sexual double standard . Middle‐aged women's sexuality is further constrained by the gendered double standard of aging (Carpenter et al, ; England & McClintock, ; Lai & Hynie, ).…”

“…Cultural representations of women engaging in age‐hypogamous relationships are not always positive; indeed, scholars have shown that media depictions of “cougars” often hold these women up for ridicule or present them as somewhat dangerous (Barrett & Levin, ; Collard, ; Kaklamanidou, ). In many ways, the term “cougar” is culturally loaded, given that it includes these negative stereotypes (Montemurro & Siefken, ). To avoid such negative connotations, hereafter we refer to older woman–younger man relationships as age‐hypogamous sexual relationships .…”

“…At present, there is little academic research on the occurrence of age‐hypogamous sexual relationships. This can be attributed in part to the fact that little scholarly attention has been directed at improving our understanding of middle‐aged women's sexuality beyond health‐related studies (Gannon, ; Montemurro & Siefken, ; Rostosky & Brown, ). The limited amount of scholarship that has addressed age heterogamy between heterosexual partners has tended to focus almost exclusively on married couples and has virtually ignored those involved in less committed relationships.…”

Sexuality and Ageing - Places of Silence: Using Intersectional Perspectives as a Starting Point for the Study of LGBT Ageing

“…Hurd Clarke, Bennett, Liu 2014), demonstrace sexuální aktivity u starších žen je rámována spíše jako sexuální agresivita s nepatřičným cílem zájmu (v angličtině tyto reprezentace nesou samostatné jazykové označení žen jako "cougars"nejblíže podobně českému opisu "žen, které jsou na zajíčky", nebo také lovkyně. Sexualita starších žen je v těchto reprezentacích zobrazována spíše jako zdroj pobavení a demonstrace jejich sexuální aktivity je vnímána jako znak zoufalství, a nikoliv úspěchu (Montemurro, Siefken 2014). Oba typy těchto reprezentací v sobě inherentně obsahují odkaz na stáří jako pole, kde sexuální vyjádření nemá své místo.…”

Sexual and reproductive health and rights of older men and women: addressing a policy blind spot

“…8,[12][13][14][15][16][17] • Common feelings of ambivalence, and clear gender differences in perspectives, regarding sexual identity and sexual relations in old age. [18][19][20][21][22][23] • The nature of, and perspectives on, as well as key factors shaping, older patients' discussion of sexual issues with health providers. [24][25][26][27] • The role of satisfactory and compromised sexual experience in shaping older persons' physical and mental well-being.…”