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A study on attitudes of Irish Men and Women on Sex before Marriage, One night stand and homosexuality
– Reported, January 24, 2012
Further analyses showed distinct differences in attitudes between those who are married and those who are cohabiting, in steady relationships or in casual relationships, even within age groups.
For example, 63% of married men and 55% of married women agree that sex before marriage is never wrong, but the figure rises to 86% of men and 78% of women who are cohabiting. Analyses also showed that more religious individuals are less likely to see sex before marriage as acceptable.
Attitudes to casual sex were measured by asking participants to indicate whether they believed a person having one-night stands is always, mostly, sometimes or never wrong. That 40% considered one-night stands to be always wrong, 14% mostly wrong, 30% sometimes wrongand 16% never wrong. Women over 60 are more likely to indicate that one-night stands are always wrong: 50% of women endorse this view compared to 31% of men.
Older age is associated with a less accepting stance on this issue. As we move from the youngest age group to the oldest, increasing proportions report that one-night stands are always wrong. For example, 15% of men under 25 endorsed this view, compared to 56% of men aged 55-64, a four-fold increase. Similarly, 29% of women under 25 agreed, compared to 84% of women aged 55-64.
Those with higher levels of education are also less likely to see onenight stands as always wrong and more likely to see it as never, or only sometimes wrong. This relationship holds for women even within age groups. Among men, analysis showed that the
differences across education groups reflect the higher proportion of young people among those with higher levels of education (young people are more likely to be liberal on this issue).
The proportion agreeing that one-night stands are always wrong is highest among those who are married, and lowest among those who are currently single, in casual relationships or cohabiting. Men and women who reported higher levels of religiosity were also more likely to see one-night stands as acceptable.
ATTITUDES toward homosexuality in Ireland have significantly softened in recent decades.Homosexuality has been increasingly accepted as a legitimate expression of human sexuality. A similar softening of attitudes has been found in a number of countries in recent decades, including by studies conducted in Australia, Britain and America.
Most of the population (64%) held that homosexuality is always wrong in 1984. In 2000, fewer people (48%) agreed that homosexuality is always wrong. The percentage of respondents reporting that homosexuality is not wrong at all almost doubled, from 16% in 1984 to 28% in 2000. Findings from ASHR further supported a decline in negative attitudes towards homosexuality; only about onequarter of respondents agreed that male or female homosexual activity is always wrong.The first of these Australian studies was held in 1984. The emergence of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s may have affected attitudes, leading to an increase in anti-gay sentiments as homosexual activity was initially identified as the primary mode of transmission of HIV.The UK NATSAL studies in 1990 and 2000 also demonstrated a substantial increase in public tolerance of male homosexuality.
Research has consistently shown gender differences in attitudes towards homosexuality. A meta-analysis of 112 studies suggested that women hold more positive attitudes toward homosexuality than men.34 Furthermore, heterosexual individuals tend to express more negative attitudes towards homosexual activity among members of their gender. Again, this negativity is more pronounced among men.
Attitudes towards homosexuality appear to be less tolerant in older age groups.From the ASHR survey in Australia showed that attitudes to homosexuality were strongly related to age, but the relationship was u-shaped: men over 50 and under 19 were most likely to report
conservative attitudes. Similarly, older women reported less acceptance of both male and female homosexual activity.
The attitudes of the Irish population aged 18 to 64 on sex between two men or two women. Most (53%) see this as never wrong, 19% as sometimes wrong, 5% as mostly wrong and less than a quarter (23%) as always wrong.As is found across a number of countries, that women are far more likely than men to have more liberal attitudes to homosexuality: 47% of men see sex between two people of the same gender as never wrong compared to 59% of women, a very significant difference.
Credits:Dr Richard Layte,Prof. Hannah McGee,Amanda Quail,Kay Rundle,Gráinne Cousins,Dr Claire Donnelly,Prof. Fiona Mulcahy and
Dr Ronán Conroy
More Information: http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/pub/ISSHR%20Main%20Report.pdf