Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I begin by welcoming all present to the Chamber, particularly our guests in the Public Gallery, and wishing everyone, especially my female colleagues, a happy International Women's Day. As Minister with responsibility for gender equality, International Women's Day is significant. It is a reminder of my Department's mission of working towards a fair, equal and inclusive society where rights are respected and all people can reach their full potential. In particular, empowering women and girls is a key priority of Ireland’s domestic and foreign policy with the overarching goal of creating a fairer and more sustainable society. Notably, through the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and the subsequent Oireachtas Joint Committee on Gender Equality, a clear and sharp focus has been brought to the specific measures that we can and must take to advance gender equality. On Friday, the Irish people will go to the polls to make their voices heard on the Government's proposals to amend the Constitution to provide for a wider concept of family, to remove text on the role of women in the home and to enshrine a recognition of the value of care.

Although International Women’s Day is a date of major significance, for the Government the goal of achieving gender equality should not be relegated to a single day each year. It is an ongoing priority exemplified by the practical measures we have taken over the past three and a half years to advance gender equality. The Government has taken comprehensive steps to address domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV, in Ireland. It has published and begun the implementation of the third national strategy on DSGBV and, crucially, has established a new agency, Cuan, that is dedicated to tackling domestic violence recognising that the response to domestic violence was fragmented across a range of Departments and State agencies. We are now bringing them together in order that we can place more focus on tackling DSGBV. This approach was inspired by our engagement with NGOs and the new agency was co-designed with these NGOs, which are doing such incredible work in this sector. Last November, my Department introduced five days' paid leave for victims of domestic violence with Ireland being one of the first European countries to introduce this as a statutory right recognising the risk that victims of DSGBV face of falling into poverty. Employees who are experiencing domestic violence can now access five days of paid leave helping them access necessary supports. I hope this leave has already helped women experiencing domestic violence to remain in employment and to achieve their full potential.

The Government has also taken a range of measures to promote gender equality more widely within the workplace. The gender pay gap is a key measurement of women’s economic empowerment. My Department introduced gender pay gap reporting in 2022, which requires organisations to report on their gender pay gaps across a range of metrics encouraging them to reflect on their gender pay and the drivers behind it. Reporting began in 2022 for organisations with more than 250 employees and will now be extended to those with more than 150 employees. We have also brought in breast-feeding breaks for mothers who have returned to work and expanded family leave entitlements for working parents. From August, parents of children aged under two will have an individual entitlement to nine weeks' paid parental leave to care for their child. This has increased from two weeks' leave per child when this Government took office. Furthermore, my Department has introduced the right to request flexible working for parents and carers as part of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, due to be commenced later this week.

Care is a fundamental value in our society. We must acknowledge that women remain disproportionately responsible for unpaid care work. In the workplace, women are also over-represented in lower-paid roles in the care sector. There has been an unprecedented 70% increase in investment in the childcare sector since 2020 and major reforms have introduced in the national childcare scheme. This investment and these reforms have cut costs for parents. From September 2024, parents will see a 50% reduction in the cost of childcare, as I committed to two years ago. These reforms and investment have meant an improvement in the sustainability of childcare services and, importantly, have meant better pay for the women and men in the sector. We know that it is predominantly women who work as early years professionals and give such dedication and care to children and young people. Over 73% of them saw a pay increase, many of them for the first time, as a result of the employment regulation order this Government signed. We have delivered on our commitments in terms of early years but our work in this area is not yet done and I am continuing to make sure that the very dedicated and skilled workforce in early years are paid their worth and encouraged to remain within this sector.

While steps have been taken to improve equality for women in their individual workplaces, significant progress has also been made to empower women of diverse backgrounds to participate in politics, leadership and public life at all levels of decision-making. In this regard, the statutory minimum gender quota for male and female candidates from political parties standing for election increased from 30% to 40% in February 2023. In December 2022, statutory maternity leave for councillors was introduced for the first time. I have outlined my commitment to introducing practical and effective maternity leave for Members of the Oireachtas. Legislative proposals to provide for this leave are being developed. We also intend to allow for maternity leave to be delayed in cases of serious illness following proposals from the Irish Cancer Society.

The Government has also made strides on women's health. Investment of €140 million since 2020 has enabled several milestone developments. These include a free contraception scheme for women aged between 17 and 31 and a publicly funded assisted human reproduction treatment scheme. Sixteen of 20 planned see-and-treat ambulatory gynaecology clinics are now operational.Six specialised menopause clinics are operational. We have seen two specialist endometriosis clinics set up and perinatal mental health services are provided in all 19 maternity hospitals. As I have outlined today through a selection of key examples of the Government's far-reaching actions, I reiterate the Government's commitment to taking concrete steps to advance gender equality in Ireland. I look forward over the coming year to continuing to work with all Senators as we consistently aim to revitalise our commitment to achieving gender equality between men and women.

I will turn briefly to the two referendums taking place on Friday. Almost since the ink was dry on our Constitution, Article 41.2 has been controversial. This provision serves as an outdated and prescriptive view of women's role in Irish society. Justine McCarthy best summed it up yesterday in The Irish Times when she wrote:

the article doesn't say ... a woman's place is in the home ... it actually says something [much] stronger. It says [that a woman's] life and mothers' duties are in the home. [This] is sexist, reductive and insulting.

Yet, this is a view that has remained in our Constitution for almost 90 years. Friday will offer the opportunity to embrace a much wider vision. It will enshrine care in all its forms as a fundamental value in our State, and it will oblige the State to strive to support that care. This is a new legal obligation and the courts, as the judicial arm of the State, will be required to interpret and imply the article as appropriate in cases where the provision of support for family care is an issue. Aligned with this change, the vote on Friday is to extend the definition of what constitutes a family within Bunreacht na hÉireann. If passed, this will act to include tens of thousands of families, many of them headed by a woman, within the constitutional recognition and protection of the family in Article 41. These two amendments, if passed, will represent a strong statement by the Irish nation and will also represent a significant step in our journey to a more inclusive country. I urge everybody to give a strong "Yes, Yes" on Friday.