Ms Joan Canning:

Good morning. The ICA welcomes the opportunity to make this presentation and to contribute to the discussion on the proposed amendment of the Constitution addressing Article 41.2. On behalf of the national executive board, my colleague and I will outline the observations of the ICA on this matter. We hope that doing so will assist the committee in its recommendations and in the most effective next steps to ensure that the Constitution will be reflective of Irish society generally and the role of women in Ireland in the 21st century.

I will deal with points one to four and my colleague Ms Roche will deal with the remaining points.

The ICA is a well-known and respected organisation in Ireland and has had a significant role since its foundation in 1910. In more than a century, the association has been a vital support to women who gained personally, emotionally and vocationally in being part of a community based, but nationally representative, women’s organisation. Our communities and our families benefited from the personal development which we all experienced, and from the association’s attention to all aspects of women’s lives. The ICA has been a lead voice in campaigning for change to benefit women individually, as well as to enhance family life and that of the wider community. We are a founding member of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, NWCI, and a member of the Associated Country Women of the World, ACWW, and active in both.

It is with this background and track record that we make the following observations on Article 41.2 and its focus on a woman’s "life in the home" and "duties in the home".