Cougars flaunt with risky sex – study

They’re old enough to know better, but middle-aged women are having more risky sex, just as teenagers are shunning it.

A study published in this month’s Journal of Primary Health Care found Kiwi women aged 40-69 who engage in regular casual sex are surprisingly blase about sexually transmitted infections (STI). The independent and incontrol ‘‘sexy savvy cougars’’ portrayed in shows such as Sex and the City were a myth and many women in this age group were ‘‘ill-informed and vulnerable’’ when it came to sexual health, the study said. ‘‘Although midlife women are stereotyped as cougars on the hunt, their apparent sexual assertiveness may be alcohol-fuelled, not underpinned by self-confidence.’’

The study comes as STI rates in New Zealand continue to decline – but not among men and women over 40. Rates remain highest among under-25s but they are dropping, while middle-age rates have risen steadily in the past decade to affect about one in 10 people.

The study was based on Environmental Science Researchmonitored national STI rates and in-depth interviews with eight over-40 Kiwi heterosexual women who engaged in casual sex.

Trish Morison, at the Universal College of Learning in Masterton, who co-authored the study, said many participants assumed the risks didn’t apply to them.

‘‘Midlife women’’ appeared to disdain using condoms, both for their own pleasure and for their partners’ preference.