Financial independence is the single most important issue in the lives of women in Ireland today, according to the findings of an Irish Times/Behaviour & Attitudes social poll.
A total of 65 per cent of women rank financial independence as a very important item in their lives, followed by personal care such as skin or hair (57 per cent) and female friends (54 per cent).
Politics is the least important topic in women's lives with just 9 per cent ranking it as very important.
The social poll on women today aims to capture the views, opinions and behaviour of women in relation to key topics such as finance, abortion, sex and relationships.
It was conducted last month among a national quota sample of 1,003 women aged 18 years and over at 100 sampling points in the State. In order to generate as accurate a measure as possible, those polled completed a face-to-face interview on general attitudes and filled in a written section on more sensitive social and moral issues themselves.
Just 33 per cent of women report that their husband or partner very regularly shares jobs in the home such as cooking or cleaning
. A total of 14 per cent say their partner never helps with domestic work.
On the issue of women working in the home or outside it, a small majority agree that women working in paid employment have a better quality of life than home-makers. More women also agree that women working outside the home have a higher standing in society than women who work in the home.
However, a majority of women (53 per cent) believe it is better for children if their mother is a full-time home-maker.
A total of 30 per cent of women say it makes no difference, while just 7 per cent say it is better if a mother works outside the home. Further poll results will be published in The Irish Times tomorrow and Saturday.
