Latina Sexuality: De(re)constructing Gender and Cultural Expectations in Midlife

The lives of Latinas are influenced in large measure by grand narratives nuanced by gender, race, and class. These narratives privilege their roles as nurturers and offers scripts for living and loving. In midlife, or the third stage of life, Latinas may experience loss of meaning, health challenges, disappointment, and loss. Midlife also presents an opportunity to challenge, question, and contest cultural and political narratives that constrain women's sexuality and sexual identity, and, in turn, affect their physical and psychological well-being. Through psychotherapy case vignettes, this paper examines the ways in which some Latinas may deconstruct dominant narratives about sexuality and create alternative or preferred stories that are health promoting and provide healing legacies for future generations.