Younger and older women have diverging views on sex, relationships and social issues, reports Carl O'Brien
Younger and older women often have very different views on sex, relationships and social issues, according to the findings of The Irish Times/Behaviour & Attitudes poll on women today.
Few areas show this as starkly as in the answers given by women when they were asked how many sexual partners they have had.
Overall, women, on average, have had between one and three sexual partners. Younger women, however, are much more likely to have had more sexual partners.
When the figures are broken down by age, a total of almost half of 18-34s say they have had one to three partners. A further 26 per cent in this age category have had between four and six partners, while 10 per cent say they have had between seven and ten partners.
The number of sexual partners older women have had is significantly smaller. For example, 76 per cent of 45-64s have had between one and three partners. A further 8 per cent of women in this age category have had between four and six, while just 4 per cent have had between seven and 10 partners.
A total of 8 per cent of women overall have never had a sexual partner. The age group most likely to have never had a partner are women aged 65-plus (15 per cent). A total of 10 per cent of 18-34s also say they have never had a sexual partner.
Younger women are also more likely to have had a same-sex experience, although the overall numbers are small.
A total of 8 per cent of 18-34s say they have had a same-sex experience, falling to 4 per cent among 35-44s, 3 per cent among 45-64s and 4 per cent among over-65s.
Again, when women were asked if they have ever had a sexual relationship with a person other than their current partner, younger women are more likely to say they have.
A total of 8 per cent of women aged between 18 and 44 say they have had an affair, falling to 4 per cent among 45-64s and 2 per cent among over-65s.
Sex and morality
Most women in all age groups agree that attitudes towards sex are more liberal now than they were 20 years ago.
However, there is a major difference in attitudes among younger and older women on whether this is a good or a bad thing.
A majority of younger women feel it is positive (57 per cent of 18-34s).
However, the numbers fall sharply among older women. The proportion who feel it is a good thing falls to 46 per cent among 35-44s, 38 per cent among 45-64s and 11 per cent among those aged 65-plus.
Cohabiting
Most women agree (74 per cent) that it is a good thing for couples to live together before they marry.
Once again, however, a sharp difference in opinion emerges between young and older women.
The vast majority of younger women believe it is a good idea to cohabit before getting married. About 88 per cent of 18-34s think so, falling to 73 per cent of 45-64s and just 32 per cent of over-65s.
Similar differences are obvious when women are asked if they think state payments to single mothers are too high and should be reduced.
A minority of younger women agree with the statement (19 per cent of 18-34s), rising to almost half of older women (47 per cent of over-65s).
Worries and concerns
Crime is easily the issue of biggest concern in women's lives, based on a list of 11 categories presented to those who participated in the opinion poll.
An average of 93 per cent say they are either extremely worried, very concerned or somewhat concerned about it. Older women are the most likely to be very worried about crime.
High levels of concern are also clear on the issue of personal security, with a total of 76 per cent expressing some degree of concern over the issue.
Issues relating to finance also rank highly as matters of worry or concern.
About 80 per cent say they are concerned about the cost of living, 70 per cent are worried about the amount of money they will have when they are older and a further 68 per cent are concerned about rising interest rates.
Those most likely to be concerned about such issues are women in their 30s and 40s. Financial worries are less of a headache among older women.
Perhaps surprisingly, those most worried by the effects of climate change - often regarded as a big issue among younger people - are older women, particularly those in their 50s and 60s. A total of 83 per cent of 45-64s say it is a matter of concern compared with 76 per cent of 18-34s.
One finding which may surprise is the relatively low level of concern over the cost of childcare. Just 52 per cent of women say it is a key worry or concern. However, this measure rises dramatically among women with young children, 71 per cent of whom say it is something they are concerned about.
Social issues
A majority of women believe there are far too many immigrants arriving into the country, although the belief is much stronger among older women.
Among 18-34s, 56 per cent agree that too many migrants are coming here.
This increases to 73 per cent among 45-64s.
There is also evidence of a class difference in outlook with more people in the less well-off C2DE category supporting the statement (70 per cent) compared with the better-off ABC1 category (60 per cent).
Age differences are also apparent when women are asked whether they would be disappointed if their son or daughter married a foreign national.
A total of 13 per cent of 18-34s agree with the statement, rising to 18 per cent among 35-44s and 28 per cent among 45-64s.
Divorce and separation
In the area of divorce or separation, significantly more younger women were likely to agree with the statement that they are more likely than not to become divorced or separated during their lifetime.
A total of 27 per cent of 18-34s agree with the statement, falling to 20 per cent among 34-44s and 19 per cent among 45-64s. Single women were more likely to agree as well (28 per cent) compared with married or cohabiting women (15 per cent).