Referendum on gender equality in Ireland
Following a citizens' assembly, the Irish government announced on 8 March 2023 that it would hold a referendum in November 2023 on gender equality and removing a constitutional reference to a woman’s place being in the home. Announcing the timeline, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that for too long “women and girls have carried a disproportionate share of caring responsibilities, been discriminated against at home and in the workplace, objectified or lived in fear of domestic or gender-based violence”.
The Department of Equality will “very shortly” convene an interdepartmental committee to develop policy recommendations, with a view to securing agreement by Government on wording. Minister Roderic O’Gorman said he intended to publish the general scheme of one or more referendum Bills by the end of June 2023, allowing the Electoral Commission to be briefed and the Bill, or Bills, to be considered by the parliament.
45 recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly
The Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality had submitted a total of 45 recommendations to Parliament on 2 June 2021. In December 2022 the Joint Committee on Gender Equality of the Irish parliament recommended following the recommendations and holding a referendum on the necessary constitutional amendments.
In the Citizens' Assembly, 99 randomly selected citizens had addressed all aspects of gender equality in Ireland. The Assembly was a reflection of Irish society by age, gender and place of residence. Due to the Corona pandemic, most of the assembly was conducted online. Sessions were held between 20 January 2020 and 18 April 2021.
Replace "women's place in the home clause"
The Citizens' Assembly proposes to replace the so-called "women's place in the home clause" in the Constitution with a non-gender-specific wording that requires the state to take appropriate measures to support care work in the home and in the wider community. Article 41 of the Constitution so far reads: "The State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved" and "the State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home".
Citizens' Assembly participants also recommend amending the part of Article 41, which recognises the family as a natural and fundamental unitary group of society as a moral institution. According to the Citizens' Assembly, the family should not be limited to the marital family. It proposes explicit reference to gender equality and non-discrimination in the Constitution.
Improve conditions for carers
Against the background of the Corona pandemic, the Citizens' Assembly calls on the government to improve the conditions for carers. It recommends choice in care and independence for older people and people with disabilities, as well as changes in care allowances and pensions for carers. It also said the government must make a special effort to improve the visibility of male carers.
The Citizens' Assembly also addressed the issue of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It calls for gender power dynamics, consensual sexual acts and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence to be addressed in a revised Relationships and Sexuality curriculum . It also proposes the appointment of a Sexual Violence Victims/Survivors Representative to act as an independent advocate and voice for victims/survivors.
Increase the minimum wage
The Citizens' Assembly further calls for the minimum wage to be raised to a living wage level by 2025. Appropriate legislation should reduce the gender pay gap to 9 per cent by 2025 and 4 per cent by 2030 - with the aim of eliminating it by 2035.
A fully individualised social protection system should reflect the diversity of today's lives and promote an equal division of paid work and care.
Hold social media companies accountable
Technology and social media companies should be held to account regarding online content that constitutes sexual harassment, bullying, stalking, sexually violent or abusive content.
On childcare, the assembly has called for a publicly funded, accessible and regulated model of childcare over the next decade. The Citizens' Assembly also recommends that the state increase its share of gross domestic product (GDP) spent on childcare from the current 0.37 per cent of GDP to at least 1 per cent by 2030 at the latest.
Paid parental leave
Paid parental leave should cover the first year of a child's life and be non-transferable, provide lone parents with the same total leave period as a couple and be incentivised by increasing payment levels to encourage increased take up, says the Citizens' Assembly report.
Since none of the Citizens' Assembly recommendations can be implemented without the support of the government, a statutory body for gender equality is to be established and adequately funded. This is to be placed under a ministry that is to be charged with cross-government coordination.
Yes to gender quotas in electoral law
The Citizens' Assembly also had an intense debate on gender quotas in elections. Three quarters of the members support a corresponding change in the electoral law.
Citizens' Assembly members want to see changes soon, says Dr Catherine Day, chairperson of the assembly. The current pace of change is too slow, she says. Many bodies are not representative of Irish society because there are not enough women represented, she said.
"Groundbreaking recommendations"
According to the director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Citizens' Assembly has done a great service to Irish women by making "groundbreaking recommendations". The recommendations "send a strong and clear signal to the government that women's equality must be at the heart of our institutions," Orla O'Connor said.
On 15 December 2022, the Joint Committee on Gender Equality of the Irish parliament presented its report and recommendations for a constitutional amendment. The Committee took the view that the 45 Assembly recommendations should be seen as a blueprint for achieving a gender equal Ireland, and so the focus of its deliberations was on how best to secure their implementation.
Call to hold a referendum
In particular, the Committee had developed a precise wording of the text for amending Articles 40.1 and 41 of the Constitution, and called on the Government to hold the necessary referendum in 2023. The proposed changes to Article 40.1 would reflect the Assembly’s wish to see constitutional recognition for the principle of gender equality; and for principles of equality and non-discrimination. The proposed changes to Article 41 would remove the sexist language currently in the text referring exclusively to women and mothers as having a ‘life’ and ‘duties’ within the home.
Instead, the proposed changes would insert gender-neutral language to ensure that the role of care is recognised, valued and supported by the State. The proposed changes would also ensure a more inclusive definition of ‘family’ beyond the family based upon marriage. Amendments to the Irish Constitution must always be decided by the citizens in a referendum.
Recommendations on a range of other measures
Apart from constitutional change, the report also sets out comprehensive recommendations on a range of other gender equality measures; on childcare, care and social protection; on measures to address Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV); on the role that education can play in challenging gendered norms and stereotypes; on the impact of pay and workplace conditions on gender equality; on how to achieve gender equality in leadership, politics and public life; and on how the gender equality principle can be protected through law and policy.
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