The first comprehensive opinion poll of the behaviour and attitudes of Irish women today, published in The Irish Times, finds that reports of the death of feminism have been greatly exaggerated. Almost 80 per cent see equality of the sexes as very or quite important. Contrary to common perceptions, younger women value feminism most. Irish women give the highest priority in their lives to financial independence, remembering, perhaps, a time when money was almost exclusively controlled by men. Overall, the social poll suggests that, if the women's movement seems to matter less these days, it is only because its basic ideals of equality and independence are now common property.
This is a reasonably comfortable generation of Irish women who generally feel good about their health, their finances, their prospects, their homes and their love lives. The survey suggests, however, that much remains to be achieved. Poverty still limits the lives of many women: the likelihood of visiting a restaurant, going to a movie or a play, or even reading a newspaper is heavily affected by social class. The gender divide in pension provision - an important marker of real equality - is underlined in the poll, with just 31 per cent of women having a private or work-related pension. Women still do more than their fair share of the housework, even when they also have paid jobs.
The poll does, nevertheless, belie the conservative belief that the changes of the last 30 years have left women confused. What has happened instead is a radical shift in the way women seek reassurance. In 1981, 86 per cent of Irish women said they drew comfort from religion. While a majority still feel that religion is important to them now, just 22 per cent say they turn to their church for comfort. The personal realm of family, friends and lovers has become the main arena for the emotional lives of Irish women.
But there is also an awareness of the negative side of sexual liberation, with a belief that women are under pressure to have sex at too early an age. Younger women are more likely to have lower expectations of lifelong love: over a third of 18-24 year-olds believe themselves more likely than not to end up divorced or separated.
Some values have not changed. Women may be having more sexual relationships than before, but they are very far from being promiscuous: only 10 per cent have had more than six partners. The vast majority of women say they have never cheated on their partners. Most women, even when they work outside the home, believe that it is better for children if the mother is a full-time homemaker.
These tensions reflect the reality that women's lives are more complicated because they have more choices. They are trying, not so much to have it all, as to balance competing demands. That may not be easy, but it is a sign that women's lives are richer and fuller than they used to be.