OVER 45? GET READY FOR A SURGE IN SEXUAL CONFIDENCE!
Older women are more confident in their sex life than their younger counterparts, new research reveals.
The research, from friendship organisation Connected Women, found Australian women were at their most confident from 45 years onwards, particularly with their sex life.
According to the findings, 21 per cent of Australian women over 59 reported feeling very confident in the bedroom, a stark contrast to Gen Z (7%) and Millennials (13%).
The research also highlighted how sexual confidence grows with age, with one in five women over 45 (21%) admitting they feel more confident in the bedroom than they did in their 20’s (13%).
“As women age, they develop a better understanding of their body, their likes, dislikes and what it is that turns them on,” said Connected Women psychologist Jacqui Manning,
“As this confidence grows, so does their ability to communicate these needs without fear or judgement.”
The findings also uncovered that the bedroom isn’t the only place where women in their midlife are more confident than their younger counterparts.
Key findings include:
Women aged 45+ outshine those aged 18-44 years in setting boundaries, with 34 per cent navigating this “very confidently” compared to 18 per cent of their younger counterparts.
Women aged 45+ were twice as likely to be “very confident” in chatting with strangers compared to those aged 18-44 (24% vs 12% respectively).
23 per cent of women aged 45+ feel “very confident” in expressing their emotions compared to 15 per cent of women aged 18-44 years
Women aged 45+ were also twice as likely to report being “very confident” when it comes to not caring about others’ opinions, surpassing those aged 18-44 years (32% vs 16% respectively).
"As digital culture has boomed, it’s created the perception that young women are as confident in real life as they portray themselves to be online, while older women are traditionally thought of as quiet and demure. This research, however, tells a different story," Ms Manning said.
“We see younger generations posing on social media with more confidence than we ever had when we were their age, but it appears that this carefully controlled and curated confidence may not translate into the real world.
"Instead, it’s the older generations who have grown up without the pressures of the social media landscape, and this, combined with their lived experience, brings confidence and wisdom to their social and romantic relationships,” she says.
According to Phoebe Adams, founder of Connected Women, the research reflects a sentiment regularly expressed within the midlife women’s network, where members speak of finding themselves in the most confident and happy phase of their lives.
“These women have built resilience through life experience and let go of that need for external validation that can plague younger generations," she said.
"They’re not comparing themselves to the people they see online, rather they are ready to get out there, make new connections and embrace life experiences well beyond their midlife and into this next phase of their lives."
