Younger and older women turn to different sources for emotional support, writes Carl O'Brien
Most women turn to close family or friends when they need emotional comfort, although significant numbers of older women still look to the Catholic Church for support, according to The Irish Times/Behaviour and Attitudes social poll on women today.
A total of 73 per cent of all women turn to their close family or friends for support, followed by their partner (52 per cent) and the Catholic Church (20 per cent).
Younger women are more likely to turn to family or friends. A total of 84 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 turned to this source for support, compared with 73 per cent of women aged 34 to 44 and 62 per cent of those aged 45 to 64.
The fall-off is explained by greater numbers of women turning to the church for support in later life.
For example, a total of just 11 per cent of 18 to 34s turn to the church for support compared with 26 per cent of 45 to 64s and 44 per cent of over-65s.
The proportion of women who turn to their partner or spouse for support also varies with age.
Some 63 per cent of women aged 35 to 44 seek reassurance from their partner. This figure falls to 33 per cent among women aged 65 or more. The figure is also relatively low among younger women (47 per cent among 18 to 34s).
Trust in institutions
The Garda Síochána is the most trusted institution in the State, based on a list of six institutions presented to women. A total of 23 per cent trust it completely. The most distrusted institutions concern politicians in Dáil Éireann, who are distrusted completely by 17 per cent of women.
Overall, older women tend to have more trust in institutions compared with younger women.
The biggest age-related difference is trust in the Catholic Church. Just 44 per cent of 18-34s say they have some kind of trust in the Catholic Church, rising to 81 per cent among the over-65s.
Trust in the judicial system and in the Garda are fairly consistent across most age groups, although older people are slightly more trusting in each.
The least trusted group are politicians. Middle-aged women with children are the most distrustful (17 per cent of 35 to 44s say they have trust in politicians) while older women, again, are most likely to trust them (28 per cent of over-65s).
Alcohol and drugs
Alcohol is much more popular among younger women. Of the 76 per cent of women overall who drink alcohol, 87 per cent are in the 18 to 34 age groups. This falls to 81 per cent among 35 ... to 44 year olds, 72 per cent among 45 to 64 year olds and 46 per cent among 65-plus.
Younger women are also much more likely to have experimented with soft drugs such as marijuana. A total of 37 per cent of 18 to 34s say they have tried soft drugs, falling to 17 per cent among 34 to 44 year olds and just 8 per cent of 45-64-year-olds.
There is no major class difference in the numbers who have tried drugs, which shows that experimentation with drugs is common across all socio-economic levels.
Among older women who have tried soft drugs, the vast majority say they last tried them when they were much younger and do not currently use them.
Overall, a small minority - 5 per cent - say they have experimented with hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. These women are mostly young and single.
Leisure activities
Women tend to take part in a range of leisure and entertainment activities in their younger years, but participation levels drop off among older women and those with children.
Younger women, for instance, are more likely to go to the restaurant regularly, go to the pub, attend a movie or play or take part in games or hobbies.
In some cases there is evidence that more women take part in leisure activities when they are older or their children have grown up. For example, 53 per cent of the 18 to 34 age group visit a pub at least once a week, falling to 21 per cent in the 34 to 44 age group, before rising again to 29 per cent in the 45 to 64 age group.
Overall, reading a newspaper or a book are the leisure activities women participate in most regularly. This is one of the few activities which remains popular across all ages.
Some 85 per cent of women say they read a newspaper once a week or more often, while 42 per cent read a book. A total of 39 per cent browse the internet regularly, while 32 per cent go the pub once a week or more often. Among the least popular leisure activities which women participate in on a regular basis are buying something on the internet (5 per cent), going to a play or movie (6 per cent) or going to an adult education class (5 per cent).
Health
The majority of women (72 per cent) report that their health is good, while just 3 per cent rate it as bad. The remainder (25 per cent) say they have middling health.
The number who see their health as good falls with age, but even among the oldest age cohort, few see it as bad.
Among those aged 45 to 64, just 2 per cent see their health as bad. This rises to 8 per cent among those aged 65-plus.
Younger women are much more likely to say their health is good (88 per cent of 18 to 34s, compared with 61 per cent of 45 to 64s).
Overall, those from better-off backgrounds are more likely to say they are in good health (79 per cent) compared with the less well-off (68 per cent).