A Study of Sex-related Problems of Old Women in Kyeonggi Province, Korea

경기도 여성노인의 성의식에 관한 조사연구

The sexual discourse has been frequent, but the subjects of it have been limited to the young, and the sex of women and that of the old people, until now, have been overlooked. According to the data in 2,000 of the Korea Statistic Service, the older-than-sixty-five-year people consist of 37.4% men and 62.6% women. Of them, the older-than-seventy-year people consist of 33.8% men and 55.2% women. The data show the fact that as the age of the old people is higher, the number of old women is enlarging. Paying attention to the above-mentioned tendency, this study conducted a survey about the aspects of the sexual consciousness of old women. The purpose of study was focused, through the survey, on discovering the ways of old women's recognization about their sexual desire, and on presenting basic data to developing the programs which could solve the problems derived from the discovery. That is to say, the purpose of it was to prevent the sexual desire's distortion and suppression of old women, if they had any, and to present basic data to developing the programs which could convert their recognization of sex. The objects of the survey were the sample group of 301 people inhabiting in Hwaseong City, Seongnam City, Yongin City, and Suwon City, chosen out of 375,298 old women of 614,316 older-than-sixty-five-year people in Kyeonggi Province (Kyeonggi Province homepage, 2002). The data were collected by the questionnairers' interviews in the fields of old men's resting house, churches, temples, old men's niversities and so like, from September 19th to September 31th in 2003. The questionnairers as volunteers were taught the prior education, being prepared for the survey about old women's sexual consciousness. The contents of education were composed of the understanding of old women, the ways of questionnairing, and the items of questionnaire. The outcomes of the survey are following; First, concerning general items, the old women of the sample group answered that they felt greatly the difficulties of health(36.5%), economy(12.0%), and loneliness(11.3%) in turn. The 48.2% of them answered that they were healthy, but the 62.3% answered that they were suffering various illnesses. The 24.4% answered they were economically rich, and the 23.9% answered they were working. The 53.5% were living alone due to divorce or death. The 71.1% had been living for more than ten years. The 83.1% believed in their own religion. Second, the 43.8% of the sample group admitted the necessity of a heterosexual friend and sexuality The 39.0% felt sexual desire, and the 33.9% were experiencing sexuality. As the obstructing factors in performing sexuality, the objects of sample group pointed out shamefulness or morality(28.7%), anxiety that such deeds might afflict their health or the problem of health itself(20.2%), weakening of sexual potency(16.9%). This outcome shows that they have ambiguous notions about their sexual alienation and manner. Third, the 33.7% of the sample group admitted sexual education and sexual counsel, and of those that admitted them, the 85.2% said that they would take part in sexual education if it were held. It shows that the demand of sexual education and sexual counsel need be fulfilled. Therefore, through this study, the following two important suggestions can be drawn: First, systematic sexual education programs should be developed, considering old people's developing steps containing their rights of health and sex. Also those should be educated through kindergartens, primary, middle and higher education institutions. Second, sexual education and sexual counsel on prospective old people and present old people should be performed.