Sexual Identity Well-Being in Older Lesbian Women Throughout the Life Cycle: A Qualitative Study in the Portuguese Context

José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves, Maria João Beja, Glória Franco, Joana Correia Jesus, Pedro Alexandre Costa, Isabel Maria Pereira Leal

2026

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DOI 10.1080/19317611.2026.2743263
Data confidence 85 high
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Abstract

Objective Population aging is a demographic phenomenon that has been intensifying in recent decades. Research has focused on the importance of sexual well-being as an essential component of health in older adults, although few studies have evaluated the experience of sexual identity well-being in older adults from sexual minorities, particularly older lesbian women, neglecting the evidence that the experience of sexuality in this group tends to diverge significantly from that of their heterosexual peers, with a history of great invisibility and stigmatization. This study evaluates the experiences of sexual identity well-being in older Portuguese lesbian women throughout their life cycle.Method Thirteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with older (60+ years) lesbian women living in the community and using the lifeline technique. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with a codebook approach with the aim of assess the experience of sexual identity well-being in older Portuguese lesbian women.Results The results suggest two major themes that influenced the sexual identity well-being of older lesbian women throughout their life cycle, each with three sub-themes: the relational factors, which included clandestine romantic relationships, conservative family relationships, and the importance of the family of choice for sexual identity well-being; and the psychosocial and historical factors, which included the influence of dictatorship, the influence of Judeo-Christian values, and the uncertainty arising from social and historical changes.Conclusions These results reveal important clues about the sexual identity well-being of older lesbian women in Portugal and the factors that may be affecting the current invisibility of these people in the social and health-related context. Relevant implications for clinical context are also discussed highlighting the importance of the experience of aging in an increasingly diverse way.