Social work is a human rights-based profession. Advocating and upholding human rights is a core activity embedded in the international definition of social work (IFSW, 2014). In the context of supporting older people, this intersects with the United Nations (UN) Principles for Older Persons (United Nations, 1991), which sets out independence, participation, selffulfilment and dignity as principles integral to supporting older people to fully participate in society. Missing from discourses both on ageing and on human rights is an understanding of sexual rights. The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) (2014) identifies 16 sexual rights as ‘grounded in universal human rights’; however, social and cultural discourses compound the invisibility of older adults’ sexual rights and inhibit discussion about the sexual well-being of older adults in social work practice contexts.

In this chapter we identify through a critical lens the sexual and gender discourses that limit recognition of sexual well-being in later life. As discussed in Chapter 1, critical gerontology grapples with and seeks to challenge sources of inequality, exclusion and oppression experienced by older people; sexuality is one such source of social exclusion that can manifest in acts of discrimination, expressions of hostility and discourses of shame and silencing. In line with this critical lens, we integrate messages from recent research on older people's sexual lives to broaden social work's understanding of the diversity of sexual experiences across older age, gender, ethnicity and sexuality. An intersectional approach underpins our discussion. Age, gender, ethnicity and sexuality are interconnecting social structures for organising social life that generate inequalities in the ways in which older people from different social backgrounds are represented, understood and supported (King et al, 2019). These intersections can generate further forms of inequality, exclusion and shame for people with care and support needs. We conclude with suggestions for gerontological social workers on how to affirm and support the sexual rights and wellbeing of older adults.

Sexual well-being and rights: key frameworks

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2021) asserts that sexuality ‘is a central aspect of being human throughout life’ and that it ‘encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction’ (WHO, 2021).