Introduction

An enormous amount of attention has been dedicated to Western views of sexuality and ageing and subsequently, has occluded the majority world. Thus, this volume has focused on the intersections of age, sex, sexuality and intimacy of individuals within the latter. Older adults’ sexuality has been relegated to a position of silence, and/ or abnormality, as if they are not sexual beings with desires, but rather with dysfunction. For LGBTQ adults, their sexuality has been marginalised and silenced or paraded as abnormality throughout their lives. Older adults’ sexuality and intimacy have been gendered and, especially for older women, considered taboo for discussion or participation. Themes and issues emerging from contributors against the backdrop of geographical and cultural rigidity in this volume are identified and their implications discussed.

How ageing and getting older are defined is multifaceted and involves a numerical/ chronological existence that is measured in time, culturally and perceptually. Ageing is further contextualised depending on identity, for example, older trans sex workers in India are perceived to have reached old age between 35 and 40 years old because their beauty is seen as beginning to fade. Older age is by far the largest period along the developmental continuum plagued by misconceptions and stereotypes (Dudek et al, 2022).

Intimacy, sexuality and sexual identities are commonly understood as natural (or naturalised) human expressions that are present across the life span and contribute to a meaningful personal life. In fact, expressions of intimacy and sexuality constitute one of our basic human needs and rights (Gewirtz- Meydan et al, 2018). Unfortunately, we have seen in this volume how stereotypes persist (part- imposed, part home- grown in some instances) regarding sexuality, intimacy and ageing, and especially for individuals who are constructed or identify as sexual minorities. These biases are culturally centred and influenced by political ideology and by religion and its importance in people's lives. The sexuality of older women is observed and commonly normalised through a patriarchal perspective and medical or biological function and dysfunction. Women from different cultural groups have different attitudes, different comfort levels about getting older, and concerning whether it is normal for a woman to continue to value sex as she gets older (Thomas, 2015).