Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vok 5, No. 3, 1976
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nontraditional Sexual Behavior Eldon E. Snyder,
Ed.D., 1 and
Elmer Spreitzer,
Ph.D I
Age as a correlate o f attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior is explored. The data were drawn from a United States national probability sample. Subgroup comparisons were made between two age cohorts -- respondents over and under 65. Sexual attitudes were measured toward premarital sexual relations, extramarital sexual relations, and homosexuality. Older respondents held the most conservative sexual attitudes. However, the background variables o f sex, social status, church attendance, marital status, and parenthood were predictors o f sexual attitudes for both age strata. The findings indicate individual variations among the aged with the likelihood o f a greater range o f differences in the future. KEY WORDS: sexual attitudes; aging; conservatism; premarital sexual relations; extramarital sexual relations; homosexuality.
INTRODUCTION Since age as a variable is associated with differential life styles, values, attitudes, and social status, age represents a dimension of social stratification (Riley and Foner, 1968; Youmans, 1973). Comparisons between age strata therefore provide research opportunities for analyzing variance in social and psychological characteristics as a function of age. This study analyzed age as a correlate of attitudes toward nontraditional forms of sexual behavior. Previous research indicated that age tends to be directly related to general conservatism, traditionalism, and a relative intolerance for alternative life styles (Botwinick, 1959, 1973; Chown, 1961). Rosenfelt (1965) has described the "elderly mystique" as involving a tendency for older persons to maintain ingroup attitudes and opinions. Geist (1968) and Glamser (1974) reviewed numerous studies which analyzed attitudinal differences as a 1Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.
249 © 1976 Plenum Publishing C o r p o r a t i o n , 227 West 17th Street, New Y o r k , N.Y. 10011. No part o f this p u b l i c a t i o n m a y be r e p r o d u c e d , stored in a retrieval system, or t r a n s m i t t e d , in a n y f o r m or b y a n y means, e l e c t r o n i c , mechanical, p h o t o c o p y i n g , m i c r o f i l m i n g , recording, or otherwise, w i t h o u t w r i t t e n permission o f the publisher.
250
Snyder and Spreitzet
function of age. Although these studies are generally consistent in reporting a direct relationship between age and dimensions of conservatism, the precise nature of the relationship remains problematic since these studies are usually based on cross-sectional rather than longitudinal data. Consequently, it is not possible to separate definitively the influence of aging per se as contrasted with social generational changes. Recent research reports substantial changes in sexual attitudes in some segments of the population toward increasing tolerance of nontraditional sexual behavior (Reiss, 1973; Reiss and Miller, 1974; Yankelovich, 1974). This body of literature reports, however, continuing differences in the level of permissiveness according to socioeconomic level (Maranell et al., 1970; Middendorp et al., 1970; Yankelovich, 1974), marital status (Edwards, 1973), parental status (Bell, 1966; Wake, 1969), and religiosity (Heltsley and Broderick, 1969), as well as differences between men and women (Reiss, 1973). In the present study, these demographic variables were analyzed as correlates of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior while controlling for the variable of age in order to determine whether any of the previously observed correlates of sexual orientations are age specific. Because of the limitations in sample size, the statistical control for the variable of age was effected through the use of subgroup comparisons between two age c o h o r t s - respondents over and under 65.
METHOD
The data were drawn from a national probability sample of the United States. This sample represents a cross-section of persons 18 years age or older who were living in noninstitutional arrangements in the spring of 1974. The data collection was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC, 1974). Interview items used to operationalize attitudes toward sexual behavior are the following: There's been a lot of discussion about the way morals and attitudes about sex are changing in the country. If a man and a woman have sex relations before marriage, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? There has been a lot of talk about how morals and attitudes about sex are changing in this country. What is your opinion about a married person having sex relations with someone other than the marriage p a r t n e r - is it always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all?
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nontraditional Sexual Behavior
251
o g
g o
%
o
£ 0
o 0
Z o 0
v ~ v
< ¢J
0 c~
0
~° o£ o
g
o
252
Snyder and Spreitzex
What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? The percentages provided in Table I are based on the "always wrong" responses for each of these three questions; this response was selected as indicating the strongest degree of intolerance of nontraditional sexual behavior in the form of premarital or extramarital intercourse and homosexuality.
RESULTS Table I presents a summary of the cross-tabulations between the six demographic characteristics (independent variables) and the three indicators of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior. The findings show an association between all six predictor variables and sexual attitudes. A greater degree of intolerance for nontraditional sexual behavior was observed among the following categories of respondents: females, persons with lower levels of education and occupation, regular church attenders, married persons, and parents. The reliability of the findings is strengthened by the fact that the direction of these relationships is consistent across all three dimensions of nontraditional sexual behavior. In general, the respondents were considerably more tolerant of premarital sexual involvement than either extramarital relationships or homosexuality. Of particular interest is the association between age and sexual attitudes; the effect of age as an explanatory variable is indicated by the "percentage difference" columns in Table I. The cross-tabular presentation reveals that age is a stronger predictor of attitudes toward all three forms of nontraditional behavior than any of the six social background characteristics. It is important to note, however, that controlling for age does not eliminate the bivariate relationships between the six background characteristics and sexual attitudes. 2 In brief, the findings indicate that older persons tend to hold more conservative sexual attitudes; however, there is still variation within the category of older persons in terms of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior. Thus one must qualify any generalizations concerning the sexual attitudes of older persons in terms of levels of education, occupation, religiosity, and marital status. The aged are not a monolithic category in terms of sexual attitudes, and this pattern of within-group variation is likely to increase with general societal trends. 2Additional analysis not presented here showed that the decline of permissive attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior is clearly linear in form, with no reversals or breaking points being evident in the bivariate distribution.
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nonl~aditional Sexual Behavior
253
CONCLUSIONS
The primary objective of this study was to analyze the influence of age on sexual attitudes. The findings indicate that advancing age tends to have a "conservatizing" influence on these attitudes. However, the background variables of sex, social status (education and occupational prestige), church attendance, marital status, and parenthood not only were important in assessing sexual attitudes for the younger age stratum but also continued to be predictors for the older stratum. This latter finding suggests that practitioners in the field of social gerontology should not assume attitudinal or behavioral homogeneity. Indeed, several observers (Rubin, 1965; Barrett, 1972; Botwinick, 1973) have noted the myth of the sexless aged and have emphasized the variability of sexual behavior among the aged. Furthermore, a logical extrapolation of these findings suggests that as the younger-age cohort grows older its members will be more permissive than their elders. Thus a greater range of individual differences is likely in the aged population of the future. In summary, the evidence indicates that age stratification is associated with conservative attitudes toward sexual behavior. One explanation for these age cohort differences may be psychological in the sense that new values and ideas may be difficult for the elderly to assimilate as they strive to maintain their traditional world views. A second theoretical interpretation (a sociocultural explanation) suggests that the variation between age strata reflects the socialization and value orientations of different historical epochs. Thus attitudes of older age respondents reflect the values of the more traditional eras of their youth. Since the data of the present study were collected by a cross-sectional research design, it is not possible to choose between these two theoretical explanations. We assume that the psychological and sociocultural processes interact to produce the observed differences. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive. A more definitive test of these explanations will require longitudinal research studies.
REFERENCES
Barrett, J. (1972). Gerontological Psychology, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Ill. Bell, R. (1966). Parent-child conflict in sexual values. J. Soc. Issues 22: 34-44. Botwinick, J. (1959). Drives, expectancies, and emotions. In Birren, J. E. (ed.), Handbook o f Aging and the Individual: Psychological and Biological Aspects, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Botwinick, J. (1973). Aging and Behavior, Springer, New York. Chown, S. (1961). Age and the rigidities. J. GerontoL 16: 352-362. Edwards, J. (1973). Extramarital involvement: Fact and theory. J. Sex Res. 9: 210-224. Geist, H. (1968). The Psychological Aspects o f the Aging Process, Green, St. Louis. Glamser, F. D. (1974). The importance of age to conservative opinions: A multivariate analysis. J. Gerontol. 29: 549-554. Heltsley, M., and Broderick, C. B. (1969). Religiosity and premarital sexual permissiveness: Reexamination of Reiss's traditionalism proposition. J. Marriage Family 31: 441-443.
254
Snyd~ and Spreitzex
Maranell, G., Dodder, R., and Mitchell, D. (1970). Social class and premarital sexual permissiveness: A subsequent test. J. Marriage Family 32! 85-88. Middendorp, C. P., Brinkman, iW., and Koomen, W. (1970). Determinants of premarital sexual permissiveness: A secondary analysis. J. Marriage.Family 32:369-379 National Opinion Research Center (1974). Codebook for the Spring 1974 General Social Survey, University of Chicago, Chicago. Reiss, I. (1973). Heterosexual relationships inside and outside of marriage. In Wilensky, H. L. (ed.), University Programs Modular Studies, General Learning Press, Morristown, N.J. Reiss, I., and Miller, B. (1974). A Theoretical Analysis o f Heterosexual Permissiveness, Technical Report No. II, Family Study Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Riley, M. W., and Foner, A. (1968). Aging and Society: An Inventory o f Research Findings, Vol. I, Russell Sage Foundation, New York. Rosenfelt, R. H. (1965). The elderly mystique in old age as a social issue. J. Soc. lssues 21: 37-43. Rubin, I. (1965). Sexual Life After Sixty, Basic Books, New York. Wafe, F. (1969). Attitudes of parents towards the premarital sex behavior of their children and themselves. J. Sex Res. 5: 170-177. Yankelovich, D. (1974). The New Morality, McGraw-Hill, New York. Youmans, E. G. (1968). Age stratification and value orientations, lnt. Rev. Aging Hum. Develop. 4: 53-65.
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nontraditional Sexual Behavior Eldon E. Snyder,
Ed.D., 1 and
Elmer Spreitzer,
Ph.D I
Age as a correlate o f attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior is explored. The data were drawn from a United States national probability sample. Subgroup comparisons were made between two age cohorts -- respondents over and under 65. Sexual attitudes were measured toward premarital sexual relations, extramarital sexual relations, and homosexuality. Older respondents held the most conservative sexual attitudes. However, the background variables o f sex, social status, church attendance, marital status, and parenthood were predictors o f sexual attitudes for both age strata. The findings indicate individual variations among the aged with the likelihood o f a greater range o f differences in the future. KEY WORDS: sexual attitudes; aging; conservatism; premarital sexual relations; extramarital sexual relations; homosexuality.
INTRODUCTION Since age as a variable is associated with differential life styles, values, attitudes, and social status, age represents a dimension of social stratification (Riley and Foner, 1968; Youmans, 1973). Comparisons between age strata therefore provide research opportunities for analyzing variance in social and psychological characteristics as a function of age. This study analyzed age as a correlate of attitudes toward nontraditional forms of sexual behavior. Previous research indicated that age tends to be directly related to general conservatism, traditionalism, and a relative intolerance for alternative life styles (Botwinick, 1959, 1973; Chown, 1961). Rosenfelt (1965) has described the "elderly mystique" as involving a tendency for older persons to maintain ingroup attitudes and opinions. Geist (1968) and Glamser (1974) reviewed numerous studies which analyzed attitudinal differences as a 1Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.
249 © 1976 Plenum Publishing C o r p o r a t i o n , 227 West 17th Street, New Y o r k , N.Y. 10011. No part o f this p u b l i c a t i o n m a y be r e p r o d u c e d , stored in a retrieval system, or t r a n s m i t t e d , in a n y f o r m or b y a n y means, e l e c t r o n i c , mechanical, p h o t o c o p y i n g , m i c r o f i l m i n g , recording, or otherwise, w i t h o u t w r i t t e n permission o f the publisher.
250
Snyder and Spreitzet
function of age. Although these studies are generally consistent in reporting a direct relationship between age and dimensions of conservatism, the precise nature of the relationship remains problematic since these studies are usually based on cross-sectional rather than longitudinal data. Consequently, it is not possible to separate definitively the influence of aging per se as contrasted with social generational changes. Recent research reports substantial changes in sexual attitudes in some segments of the population toward increasing tolerance of nontraditional sexual behavior (Reiss, 1973; Reiss and Miller, 1974; Yankelovich, 1974). This body of literature reports, however, continuing differences in the level of permissiveness according to socioeconomic level (Maranell et al., 1970; Middendorp et al., 1970; Yankelovich, 1974), marital status (Edwards, 1973), parental status (Bell, 1966; Wake, 1969), and religiosity (Heltsley and Broderick, 1969), as well as differences between men and women (Reiss, 1973). In the present study, these demographic variables were analyzed as correlates of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior while controlling for the variable of age in order to determine whether any of the previously observed correlates of sexual orientations are age specific. Because of the limitations in sample size, the statistical control for the variable of age was effected through the use of subgroup comparisons between two age c o h o r t s - respondents over and under 65.
METHOD
The data were drawn from a national probability sample of the United States. This sample represents a cross-section of persons 18 years age or older who were living in noninstitutional arrangements in the spring of 1974. The data collection was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC, 1974). Interview items used to operationalize attitudes toward sexual behavior are the following: There's been a lot of discussion about the way morals and attitudes about sex are changing in the country. If a man and a woman have sex relations before marriage, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? There has been a lot of talk about how morals and attitudes about sex are changing in this country. What is your opinion about a married person having sex relations with someone other than the marriage p a r t n e r - is it always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all?
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nontraditional Sexual Behavior
251
o g
g o
%
o
£ 0
o 0
Z o 0
v ~ v
< ¢J
0 c~
0
~° o£ o
g
o
252
Snyder and Spreitzex
What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? The percentages provided in Table I are based on the "always wrong" responses for each of these three questions; this response was selected as indicating the strongest degree of intolerance of nontraditional sexual behavior in the form of premarital or extramarital intercourse and homosexuality.
RESULTS Table I presents a summary of the cross-tabulations between the six demographic characteristics (independent variables) and the three indicators of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior. The findings show an association between all six predictor variables and sexual attitudes. A greater degree of intolerance for nontraditional sexual behavior was observed among the following categories of respondents: females, persons with lower levels of education and occupation, regular church attenders, married persons, and parents. The reliability of the findings is strengthened by the fact that the direction of these relationships is consistent across all three dimensions of nontraditional sexual behavior. In general, the respondents were considerably more tolerant of premarital sexual involvement than either extramarital relationships or homosexuality. Of particular interest is the association between age and sexual attitudes; the effect of age as an explanatory variable is indicated by the "percentage difference" columns in Table I. The cross-tabular presentation reveals that age is a stronger predictor of attitudes toward all three forms of nontraditional behavior than any of the six social background characteristics. It is important to note, however, that controlling for age does not eliminate the bivariate relationships between the six background characteristics and sexual attitudes. 2 In brief, the findings indicate that older persons tend to hold more conservative sexual attitudes; however, there is still variation within the category of older persons in terms of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior. Thus one must qualify any generalizations concerning the sexual attitudes of older persons in terms of levels of education, occupation, religiosity, and marital status. The aged are not a monolithic category in terms of sexual attitudes, and this pattern of within-group variation is likely to increase with general societal trends. 2Additional analysis not presented here showed that the decline of permissive attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior is clearly linear in form, with no reversals or breaking points being evident in the bivariate distribution.
Attitudes of the Aged Toward Nonl~aditional Sexual Behavior
253
CONCLUSIONS
The primary objective of this study was to analyze the influence of age on sexual attitudes. The findings indicate that advancing age tends to have a "conservatizing" influence on these attitudes. However, the background variables of sex, social status (education and occupational prestige), church attendance, marital status, and parenthood not only were important in assessing sexual attitudes for the younger age stratum but also continued to be predictors for the older stratum. This latter finding suggests that practitioners in the field of social gerontology should not assume attitudinal or behavioral homogeneity. Indeed, several observers (Rubin, 1965; Barrett, 1972; Botwinick, 1973) have noted the myth of the sexless aged and have emphasized the variability of sexual behavior among the aged. Furthermore, a logical extrapolation of these findings suggests that as the younger-age cohort grows older its members will be more permissive than their elders. Thus a greater range of individual differences is likely in the aged population of the future. In summary, the evidence indicates that age stratification is associated with conservative attitudes toward sexual behavior. One explanation for these age cohort differences may be psychological in the sense that new values and ideas may be difficult for the elderly to assimilate as they strive to maintain their traditional world views. A second theoretical interpretation (a sociocultural explanation) suggests that the variation between age strata reflects the socialization and value orientations of different historical epochs. Thus attitudes of older age respondents reflect the values of the more traditional eras of their youth. Since the data of the present study were collected by a cross-sectional research design, it is not possible to choose between these two theoretical explanations. We assume that the psychological and sociocultural processes interact to produce the observed differences. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive. A more definitive test of these explanations will require longitudinal research studies.
REFERENCES
Barrett, J. (1972). Gerontological Psychology, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Ill. Bell, R. (1966). Parent-child conflict in sexual values. J. Soc. Issues 22: 34-44. Botwinick, J. (1959). Drives, expectancies, and emotions. In Birren, J. E. (ed.), Handbook o f Aging and the Individual: Psychological and Biological Aspects, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Botwinick, J. (1973). Aging and Behavior, Springer, New York. Chown, S. (1961). Age and the rigidities. J. GerontoL 16: 352-362. Edwards, J. (1973). Extramarital involvement: Fact and theory. J. Sex Res. 9: 210-224. Geist, H. (1968). The Psychological Aspects o f the Aging Process, Green, St. Louis. Glamser, F. D. (1974). The importance of age to conservative opinions: A multivariate analysis. J. Gerontol. 29: 549-554. Heltsley, M., and Broderick, C. B. (1969). Religiosity and premarital sexual permissiveness: Reexamination of Reiss's traditionalism proposition. J. Marriage Family 31: 441-443.
254
Snyd~ and Spreitzex
Maranell, G., Dodder, R., and Mitchell, D. (1970). Social class and premarital sexual permissiveness: A subsequent test. J. Marriage Family 32! 85-88. Middendorp, C. P., Brinkman, iW., and Koomen, W. (1970). Determinants of premarital sexual permissiveness: A secondary analysis. J. Marriage.Family 32:369-379 National Opinion Research Center (1974). Codebook for the Spring 1974 General Social Survey, University of Chicago, Chicago. Reiss, I. (1973). Heterosexual relationships inside and outside of marriage. In Wilensky, H. L. (ed.), University Programs Modular Studies, General Learning Press, Morristown, N.J. Reiss, I., and Miller, B. (1974). A Theoretical Analysis o f Heterosexual Permissiveness, Technical Report No. II, Family Study Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Riley, M. W., and Foner, A. (1968). Aging and Society: An Inventory o f Research Findings, Vol. I, Russell Sage Foundation, New York. Rosenfelt, R. H. (1965). The elderly mystique in old age as a social issue. J. Soc. lssues 21: 37-43. Rubin, I. (1965). Sexual Life After Sixty, Basic Books, New York. Wafe, F. (1969). Attitudes of parents towards the premarital sex behavior of their children and themselves. J. Sex Res. 5: 170-177. Yankelovich, D. (1974). The New Morality, McGraw-Hill, New York. Youmans, E. G. (1968). Age stratification and value orientations, lnt. Rev. Aging Hum. Develop. 4: 53-65.
