Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Few positive things can be said about the First World War, apart from the development of mechanised transport and the changes that occurred in many women's lives. They sometimes replaced men in factories and in services, such the postal service. Some swapped domestic service for factory jobs and earned a relative good wage. This was more common in Britain where conscription was enforced. As a result, at the end of that awful war, the vote was granted to women.

A House of Commons debate that took place only six years earlier showed some of the attitudes that prevailed at the time and that prevented the vote from being extended to women.

Some men objected because they believed women to be inferior. Others felt that the interests of women were perfectly safe in the hands of men, while still others felt women would be corrupted by politics. Some even felt that women were emotional creatures and incapable of making sound political decisions.

In Ireland, all women over 21 were granted the right to vote in 1922. While there is no doubt that women played a significant role in the events leading up to Independence, it was a role largely written out of history. Following Independence, women played little or no primary role in shaping the future of politics or, indeed, the country. I am of the view that the country was poorer for their absence. The decades that followed Independence were dark for women. The great awakening happened with the women's movement in the 1960s, which campaigned for equal treatment and a better quality of life. Then things began slowly to change. There have been many positive changes in recent decades. Many of these were demanded by women and others were imposed by the EU. However, the battle for equality has not yet been won.

Centenaries are a time for reflection. The centenary we are marking today is about women of privilege - women with means who were over 30 and who were granted the right to vote. Even then, class and privilege trumped equal participation and representation. If we are to learn from the past, our future must be about inclusiveness and about making politics accessible and attractive to women from all backgrounds.

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