Whether or not we actually participated, we're the cohort that pulled the cover off sex outside of marriage. According to AARP, our sexual revolution continues to blossom. The organization released its 2009 Sex, Romance and Relationships study of people over 45, which found that more of us than ever think sex outside of marriage is okay — and that sex itself is still great.
AARP found that not the sexual revolution continues in the older population as Boomers continue to age. Opposition to sex among those who are not married is down by half over the past 10 years, and belief that there is too much emphasis on sex in our culture today is down since 2004.
Many people who responded to the survey had rich sex lives, with 59 percent married or in a committed relationship. Unmarried sex equals more sex: 48 percent of singles with regular partners have sex at least once a week, compared to only 36 percent of married folks.
But AARP found that the frequency of sex among married and singles had dropped.
Between 2004 and 2009, the percentage of people in their 50s who say they have sex at least once a week took about a 10-point plunge for both sexes (women dropped from 43 to 32 percent, and men from 49 to 41 percent).
Researchers think this is still another piece of fallout from the recession. Twenty six percent of men and 14 percent of women said having better finances would make their sex lives more satisfying.
Interestingly, while approximately one fifth of men and 11 percent of women in a relationship admitted they had cheated recently, few said this had hurt the primary relationship. In fact, 25 percent of cheaters said infidelity made things sexier with their mates — and 11 percent of the betrayed actually agreed.
Cheating may be one way to get out of the marital rut, but AARP's relationships expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz has a better one: Take a tip from the kids and try sexting. Sexy text messages during the day can heat up your bedroom at night — without the risk of ruining your relationship.