Over one in three Irish women are now the sole income earners in their homes, a new study has revealed.
 
Irish women are being increasingly pressured to support their families, with a shocking 69 per cent of irish families now struggling to make ends meet.
 
The study has also revealed that almost half of of all Irish households have been affected by the recession, in most cases through the loss of a job or the reduction in work hours or salary.
'There is a huge pressure on women today, and while it is human nature that a mother would put her child's health before her own, I would urge mothers to make sure they look after their own health and wellbeing,' Doctor Mary Henry, an advocate on women's health issues in Ireland told the Herald.
 
'On a positive note, I was pleased to see that the number of women having various types of health screening is on the rise. The number of women having cervical smear tests is up from 29 percent in 2010 to 34 percent this year, and the number having mammograms remains stead at 19 percent.'
 
Although this years health screening numbers have improved the study has raised concerns about the lack of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's) screenings among the Irish population.