Four in 10 women aged between 34 and 45 prefer sexual partners younger than themselves while more than six in 10 claim to have been unfaithful to their partners, according to the results of a new survey made public on the occasion of International Women’s Day yesterday.

The survey, carried out by the Institute for Sexual Health and the Andrology Institute with a sample of 1,800 women, appears to turn on its head the stereotype of flighty men seeking ever-younger sexual partners. A total of 40 percent of the women polled said they tended to opt for younger lovers. Only 28 percent said they liked their sexual partners to be the same age as them while 27 percent said they preferred older men. When asked whether they are generally unfaithful to their long-term partners, 64 percent said yes. Around 50 percent of respondents said they would end a relationship if it interfered with their career.