The number of Australians experiencing financial stress and hardship, and just generally doing it tough is one the Salvation Army is dedicated to reducing.

And now the Salvos are calling for increased government support to older Australian women.

This comes following a study by the Salvation Army that found that 60% of those seeking their financial support services between 2017-2018 were women of this demographic.

A personal and emotional issue, the Salvation Army says financial hardship can take the worst toll on an individual, especially for older women, many of whom have little to no support network to fall back on.

Tess spoke with Lauren Martin from the Salvation Army.