ANALYSIS:Most voters believe women are better off since the women's liberation movement 40 years ago, writes STEPHEN COLLINSPolitical Editor
AN OVERWHELMING majority of voters believe that the position of women in Ireland has improved since the foundation of the women's liberation movement 40 years ago, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
When asked if they felt that the quality of women’s lives had improved, disimproved or remained the same, 80 per cent said the position had improved and just 4 per cent said it had disimproved over the 40 years. Twelve per cent said the position had remained the same, while 4 per cent had no opinion.
The poll was taken on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all 43 constituencies.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.
There was no significant difference in the responses of men and women to the question, with 81 per cent of men and 79 per cent of women saying the position of women had improved.
In class terms, the best-off AB voters were most convinced that the position of women had improved, with 87 per cent of them taking that view.
The poorest DE social category were the least inclined to take that view, although 75 per cent still agreed, while those in other social categories were more inclined to take the view that the position of women had improved the higher their income.
In age terms, the 50-to-64-year olds were most convinced that the position had improved, while the over-65s were least convinced. All other age groups were equally of the view that things had got better.
In party terms there were no wide differences, although Green voters were most convinced that things had improved, followed by Labour voters, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters coming next.
Sinn Féin voters were the least convinced that the position of women had improved, while supporters of Independents and Others had a similar view.
In regional terms, voters in Dublin and Munster were most supportive of the proposition that the position of women had improved, while those living in Connacht-Ulster and the rest of Leinster were not as strongly convinced.
Urban dwellers were more likely to say that things had improved over the past 40 years than rural dwellers, but there was still a large majority among rural people and farmers for the view that the quality of women’s lives had improved.