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We know from research that young women have specific experiences and needs in terms of their mental health. There are many expectations on young women, with friends, exams, body image and social media being particular sources of stress for young women.[1]
In MyWorld2, the National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland[2], young women indicated increased levels of anxiety and decreased levels of self-esteem, body esteem, optimism, resilience and other protective factors than males of the same age.
Young women were more likely to be in the severe and very severe categories for both depression and anxiety. Young women aged 12-19 were more likely (26%) to report deliberate self-harm and were also more likely (46%) to report suicidal ideation than young men of the same age (34%). Young women aged 18-25 were more likely (42%) to report deliberate self-harm than young men (22%).
Despite this, it is clear that young women were not seeking professional support when they needed it[3]. Females aged 12-19 were more likely to report needing professional help but that they had no sought it (21%) compared to males (12%). Females aged 18-25 were more likely to report needing professional help but that they had no sought it (27%) compared to males (21%). Young women also reported significantly lower levels of coping by seeking support when compared to levels from the first MyWorld survey in 2012[4].
The 2016 Healthy Ireland survey found that young women (15-24 years) were the group with the highest levels of ‘negative mental health’.[5]
In a survey of 2,508 young people from ReachOut in 2017, when asked about their mental health, more young women (34%) reported it was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ compared to young men (21%).[6]
Despite advances in women’s rights and the growing feminist movement in Ireland it is still not easy being a young woman today. Young women face many challenges including sexism, misogyny, body image pressures, abuse, harassment, homophobia, and racism which can have an impact on their mental health.
Young women’s mental health is impacted by the gender discrimination and misogyny they face on a daily basis. Girls are harassed just for being girls. In 2018, Plan International Ireland carried out the Safe in Ireland survey[7] of 534 young people, 83% of whom were women, which revealed that 9 in 10 women feel unsafe in Ireland because of their gender.
The sexism young women face – from catcalling and sexual harassment to sexual objectification and violence – can make women generally more fearful and anxious. Young women often speak about constantly feeling on guard from attack— physically, mentally or through sexism —which can create a sense of hypervigilance and, in turn, greater levels of psychological distress.
Sexual harassment and abuse are part of daily life for young women. Half of the women (49%) who took part in the Plan International Safe in Ireland survey[8] had experienced verbal abuse in public and over a third of women surveyed had experienced physical harassment in public. 75% of survey respondents were under the age of 25.
The mental health impacts of sexual harassment and abuse can be multiple and severe. According to MyWorld2[9] young women (56%) were much more likely than males (23%) to report that they had been touched against their will or without their consent. Females who reported that someone had touched them against their will were more likely to be in the ‘very severe’ range for depression and anxiety.[10]
In the Women’s Aid Too Into You survey of young people aged 18-25, 1 in 5 young women had experienced abuse from a current or former intimate partner. Emotional abuse, online abuse and sexual coercion were particularly common. The majority of young women who said they had experienced abuse said they suffered low self-esteem (88%), and anxiety and depression (86%) as a result. Some disclosed (19%) that they had attempted suicide. 33% of young women who experienced abuse did not seek not help from anyone in relation to the abuse[11].
Young women also face abuse online, which is often sexist or misogynistic in nature, and involve threats of violence. According to the Too Into You[12] report, of the women that had suffered intimate relationship abuse, 1 in 2 experienced online abuse using digital technology. In a Plan International Ireland survey of 457 young women in 2020, 65% of girls and young women in Ireland said they had experienced harassment or abuse on social media[13]. 1 in 4 girls reported that they or someone they know have felt physically unsafe as a result of online harassment.
The most prevalent effects of online harassment were mental or emotional stress (65%) and lower self-esteem or loss of self-confidence (75%). Young women who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination can experience targeted abuse online.
We know that young women experience pressure to look a certain way or fit a certain body image. 81% of young women surveyed by ReachOut stated ‘body image’ as a source of stress compared with 52% of males.[14] This stress can impact young women’s well-being and self-confidence and cause them to develop eating disorders, depression or anxiety.
According to the HSE, approximately one third of adolescent females diet regularly and are dissatisfied with their body, with around 10% being at risk of eating disorders[15]. Young women also face these expectations online with the way girls are dressed or present themselves online being subject to intense and critical scrutiny.
It is also crucial that we understand that some young women face further challenges which have an impact on their mental health and wellbeing.
Young women of colour and young women from ethnic minority communities face racial discrimination and prejudice which can have a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing.
Young people who took part in the Be Heard on CERD Youth Consultation with IHREC[16] spoke about experiences of racism resulting in isolation and mental health issues, including anxiety, and depression. They also indicated that minority ethnic communities are reluctant to access healthcare services due to discrimination experienced in the past.
The 2018 iReport Reports of racism in Ireland [17] found patterns of harassment and intimidation of young women from ethnic minority groups. 2019 saw the highest rate of violent racist assaults recorded to date by INAR[18], with many resulting in damaged mental health.
Anti-LGBTI+ bullying is prevalent in second-level schools in Ireland. According to a recent BelongTo survey[19] of 788 LGBTI+ students, half of whom identified as female, 68% heard homophobic remarks from other students. These comments bothered and distressed over 50% of LGBTI+ students. LGBTI+ young people who experience bullying and harassment at school have lower self-esteem and higher levels of isolation which can pose a significant threat to their wellbeing, mental health and welfare[20].
[1] Chambers D, Ryan F, Doolan R, Kavanagh N and Healy C. (2017) What’s wrecking your head? – A report on teenage mental health. ReachOut Ireland.
[2] Jigsaw, University College Dublin (2019) My World 2: The National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland. http://www.myworldsurvey.ie/content/docs/My_World_Survey_2.pdf
[3] Jigsaw, University College Dublin (2019) My World 2: The National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland. http://www.myworldsurvey.ie/content/docs/My_World_Survey_2.pdf
[4] Dooley, B., O’Connor, C., Fitzgerald, A., & O’Reilly, A. (2012) My World Survey 1: The National Study Youth Mental Health in Ireland. Jigsaw and UCD School of Psychology. https://jigsaw.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MWS1_Full_Report_PDF.pdf
[5] Ipsos MRBI (2016) Healthy Ireland Survey 2016. https://assets.gov.ie/16000/9e29f3fde1f048468485985093754bfd.pdf
[6] Chambers D, Ryan F, Doolan R, Kavanagh N and Healy C. (2017) What’s wrecking your head? – A report on teenage mental health. ReachOut Ireland.
[7] Plan International Ireland (2018) Safe in Ireland Survey. https://www.plan.ie/stories/2018-10-10-safe-in-ireland-report/
[8] Plan International Ireland (2018) Safe in Ireland Survey. https://www.plan.ie/stories/2018-10-10-safe-in-ireland-report/
[9] Jigsaw, University College Dublin (2019) My World 2: The National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland. http://www.myworldsurvey.ie/content/docs/My_World_Survey_2.pdf
[10] Jigsaw, University College Dublin (2019) My World 2: The National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland. http://www.myworldsurvey.ie/content/docs/My_World_Survey_2.pdf
[11] Women’s Aid (2020) One in Five Women Report, Experience Intimate Relationship Abuse. https://www.womensaid.ie/about/policy/publications/one-in-five-women-report-experience-intimate-relationship-abuse-womens-aid-2020/
[12] Women’s Aid (2020) One in Five Women Report, Experience Intimate Relationship Abuse. https://www.womensaid.ie/about/policy/publications/one-in-five-women-report-experience-intimate-relationship-abuse-womens-aid-2020/
[13] Plan International Ireland (2020) Girls Online: Experiences and Impacts in Ireland https://www.plan.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Freedom-Online-Ireland-report.pdf
[14] Chambers D, Ryan F, Doolan R, Kavanagh N and Healy C. (2017) What’s wrecking your head? – A report on teenage mental health. ReachOut Ireland.
[15] HSE (2018) Eating Disorder Services. HSE Model of Care for Ireland. https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/national-clinical-programme-for-eating-disorders/ed-moc.pdf
[16] IHREC (2019) Ireland and the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Ireland’s Combined 5th to 9th Report. https://www.ihrec.ie/app/uploads/2019/11/IHREC_CERD_UN_Submission_Oct_19.pdf
[17] Michael, L (2019) Data from iReport.ie: Reports of racism in Ireland. https://inar.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2018_iReport_Final.pdf
[18] Michael, L (2020) Data from iReport.ie: Reports of racism in Ireland. https://inar.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2019_iReport_Final.pdf
[19] Oren Pizmony-Levy & BeLonG To Youth Services (2019) The 2019 School Climate Survey Report: The experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans young people in Ireland’s schools. Research Report. Ireland: Dublin. https://belongto.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Key-Findings-School-Climate-Survey-2019-1-1.pdf
[20] HSE, Glen, BelongTo, TCD (2016) The LGBTIreland Report: national study of the mental health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Ireland. https://belongto.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/LGBT-Ireland-Full-Reportpdf.pdf
