Older Catholic Women Defy the Conservative Label: International Survey of Catholic Women

• Older Catholic women (70+) strongly advocate for progressive Church reforms.
• They prioritise addressing clericalism, abuse cover-ups, and the lack of inclusion for social justice.
• Their experience is vital for inter-generational collaboration and challenging stereotypes.

“The Catholic Church is my mother. She nurtured me from my childhood. Now she is sick, and I can’t afford to leave her alone,” respondent, age range 56–70 years, India.

We have long assumed that winds of reform blow from the restless hearts of youth. The young are digital, disruptive, and full of questions. So naturally, when conversations about reforming religious institutions arise, we expect them to be led by twenty-somethings. However, the findings from the 2023 International Survey of Catholic Women (ISCW) have turned this conventional wisdom on its head.

The ISCW was created to inform the Synod, a global effort by the Catholic Church to listen more deeply to its people. The overall aim of the ISCW was to gather feedback and to listen to the lived experiences of Catholic women around the world. In response, over 17,000 Catholic women from 104 countries shared how they relate to their faith today. While many affirmed their identity as Catholics, they also voiced concern, especially around leadership, inclusion, and justice.

However, one finding that stood out was that some of the Church’s fiercest advocates for progressive reform are women over 70.

The Myth of the Conservative Elder

93% of women aged 70 and above supported full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in Church life. In contrast, only 65% of women under 25 agreed with LGBTQ+ inclusion.

7 out of 10 of all respondents firmly expressed that remarriage after civil divorce should be allowed. Older respondents agreed more strongly than younger ones. In fact, almost 9 out of 10 respondents aged 70 years or older strongly agreed or agreed with the statement compared with just over 4 out of 10 aged 25 years or younger. 

The younger women, often assumed to be the most reformist, were more hesitant on several issues. So what’s going on? Perhaps older women have simply had enough. Enough of being sidelined, enough of watching institutions protect power over people, enough of being told their roles are complementary but not equal. 

In South Asia, too, the assumption often is that older women are guardians of tradition, especially in communities shaped by patriarchal family systems and religious hierarchy. However, responses from the region challenge that stereotype. From India to Sri Lanka, women who have long served parishes and convents are increasingly naming clericalism, gendered exclusion, and abuse, sometimes more sharply than the younger women. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean younger Catholics aren’t leading or longing for change. Many are, through protest, poetry, and new models of faith and justice. What’s striking here is that older women, often cast as guardians of conservative traditions, are just as eager for justice. Rather than seeing this as a generational divide, maybe it’s a call to join forces across age, experience, and expression. 

On Institutional Accountability

85% of respondents said clericalism is damaging the Church. Around 80% felt that Church leaders are not doing enough to address abuse and its cover-up. Once again, older respondents expressed this concern most strongly.

In nearly every region surveyed, women called for greater inclusion in Church leadership (80% of all women surveyed), and the older they were, the more emphatic was their call.

Catholic Social Teaching

In the survey, 83% of all respondents agreed that Catholic Social Teaching is a vital guide for engaging with issues of justice. Similarly, 79% felt that the Church must treat climate change as an urgent, global challenge. And on both fronts, it was older women, those often seen as the most traditional, who expressed the strongest agreement.

Rooting For the Next Generation

Many write about their daughters, granddaughters, and what kind of Church they’ll inherit. These women don’t want to be the last ones standing in pews that are growing emptier. They want a Church their loved ones can return to.

I wish for my daughter a living, free, equal, and open Catholic Church that treats believers and employees of all kinds with appreciation (Age bracket 41 to 55 years, Germany).

It’s not that younger generations don’t care. Many are organising on these very issues. One young respondent explained:

“The patriarchy of the Church has been able to thrive in India because it aligns well with the patriarchy inherent in the culture. I myself was able to see the patriarchy of the Church only after a Catholic priest pointed it out to me. On reflection, I realise how much patriarchy was instilled in me, so much so that I could not accept it when lay people or those of other faiths confronted me about how wrong and unjust the Church was at the systemic level itself,” age range 26 to 40 years, India.

Older women are reminding us that Catholic tradition itself has deep roots in justice, community, and care for the poor.

The Takeaway for Faith Spaces Today

What does this mean for platforms like Faith Futures Collective and others working at the intersection of religion and gender justice?

It means we need to rethink who we consider our collaborators. Older Catholic women in South Asia are often dismissed as docile keepers of patriarchal customs. But many are quietly leading this transformation of the narrative landscape, and the ISCW report offers clear proof of that.

It also means that change demands inter-generational coalitions. It comes from conversations that transcend age, language, and tradition. From acknowledging that sometimes, the most radical act is not to leave, but to stay and speak.