The overwhelming majority of women are satisfied with their lives, although older women are significantly less likely to be happy in later life, according to the findings of The Irish Times/Behaviour and Attitudes poll on women today.
While a total of 90 per cent say they are satisfied, satisfaction levels among older women reduce sharply in areas such as love life, future prospects and their job. One of the few areas in which women are more satisfied as they grow older is their financial situation.
The findings are part of the first ever national opinion poll on women aimed at capturing their views, opinions and attitudes in relation to key topics such as finance, abortion, sex and relationships.
It was conducted last month among a national quota sample of 1,000 women at 100 sampling points around the country.
Today's results show significant differences between younger and older women across a range of areas such as alcohol consumption, trust in public institutions and leisure activities.
The Garda Síochána is the most trusted institution of the State, based on a list of six institutions presented to women. A total of 23 per cent trust it completely. The least trusted group are politicians in Dáil Éireann, who are completely distrusted by 17 per cent of all women.
Overall, older women tend to have much more trust in institutions compared to younger women.
The biggest age-related difference is in trust in the Catholic Church. Just 44 per cent of 18 to 34s say they have some degree of trust in the Catholic Church, rising to 81 per cent among the over-65s.
On the issue of who women seek help from at times of emotional distress, most say they turn to family or friends. However, significant numbers of older women still look to the Catholic Church for support.
In the area of leisure and entertainment, women tend to take part in activities when younger, but participation drops off among older women and those with children.
Younger women are more likely to go to the restaurant regularly, go to the pub, attend a movie or play or take part in games or hobbies. One of the few activities popular across all age groups is reading books or newspapers.