Aging women in Russia: Between sexless and sexy oldies.

Abstract

Women's sexuality as a dimension of embodied identity is shaped and constrained by social norms of gender and age and negotiated by women in complex ways. Discourses of hegemonic bodily normativity ascribe a sexless subjectivity to Russian women in their post-reproductive years, contributing to their social exclusion. At the same time, in modern Russian society a neoliberal concept of "successful active aging" is gradually changing understandings of aging, making later-life sexuality more visible and legitimate. Older women's sexual activity is often part of a lifestyle involving active care of their appearance and health, allowing them to maintain social inclusion in their post-reproductive years. This article considers how women's sexuality shifts over time and what alternative (if any) form of sexuality exists besides the "sexless older woman" and the "sexy older woman" in the post-Soviet Russian context. Based on Russian data from the project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (The project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (under supervision of professor Anna Temkina, EUSPb).), this article discusses growing recognition of the diversity of experiences of later-life sexuality and the vulnerable social position of women in their post-reproductive years outside Western societies.