Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I also wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. Although this annual session for International Women’s Day is a welcome chance to highlight the issues impacting girls and women, I have to wonder if I could just dust off last year’s speech and give it again. What has changed in the meantime? The Government’s announcement of the referendum on removing the constitutional reference to a woman’s place being in the home says it all. Is this the kind of great, meaningful act for International Women’s Day? It is incredible that this reference is still in our Constitution in 2023. The recommendation was made by the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality in April 2021, almost two years ago. While I welcome the referendum, its delay and its announcement today reeks of cynicism.

Can the Government claim for one second it is interested in the well-being of women and girls when, at the same time, it is ending the ban on evictions, the one policy stopping many one-parent families from becoming homeless? We know they are disproportionately affected by homelessness. Despite making up just 20% of families in Ireland, one-parent families make up more than 55% of homeless families. In the vast majority of those one-parent families, women are the sole parent. During the week of International Women’s Day, the Government is opening up the floodgates for them and other families to become homeless.

I do not know if it is more hypocritical or callous, but I know there are hundreds of women and girls who will be worse off this week because of the Government. Here are some of the measures the Government could announce for International Women’s Day. It could include a properly resourced strategy to tackle gender-based violence. Gardaí responded to almost 54,000 domestic abuse incidents last year, yet the State provides less than one third of the necessary refuge spaces. The Government’s proposed domestic violence leave is half of the international standard. Sexual, relationship, and consent education is antiquated, and the Minister for Education has basically said it is optional, letting young people learn about sex and relationships online rather than training and resourcing teachers and schools to do this.

The Government could prioritise women’s and girl's healthcare. There is a common thread in many of the health issues I have to raise in this House, including the under-resourcing and lack of even basic respect for women’s health rights. Treatments for menopause are still inadequate. The levels of information and support are very poor, and there are still shortages of HRT medication. Women suffering hyperemesis also face considerable barriers in accessing medicines to relieve the chronic conditions. Free contraception for women should mean that pharmacists should be able to supply oral contraceptives without the need for a GP prescription. In addition, the HSE’s attempt to massively restrict home births is still a distinct possibility. All of these things are connected. The State still does not understand or properly support women’s healthcare.

Another measure the Minister could announce today - the most decent thing he could do on International Women’s Day - is to give justice to all survivors of mother and baby homes and illegal adoptions. The horrific and criminal treatment of girls and women at the hands of the church and State in these institutions is unimaginable. Survivors deserve justice. The public are behind them. The Government’s redress scheme intentionally excludes whole categories of survivors, arbitrarily deciding that their suffering and human rights violations do not merit any kind of reparation. I am using this opportunity to again ask the Minister to do the right thing. The redress Bill will be going through the Seanad soon, so there is still time to listen to survivors, human rights experts and the general public and to expand the scheme to include all survivors.

Finally, if the Minister is serious about the announcement of the referendum replacing the reference to a woman’s place being in the home, what material difference will that make in terms of women being in the home? I welcome the symbolic importance, but what impact will it actually have on families, because in the middle of a housing crisis with increasing bills, that is what ordinary people will be asking. The reality of the matter is that this section of the Constitution is pretty accurate. Our State, social and healthcare services are based on the assumption that there is a woman at home full time. In each of these areas - childcare, disability services, caring for older parents - the State only provides a fraction of the support required. There are considerable staff shortages, social and healthcare professionals are emigrating or moving to other professions. Of course, men fulfil some caring roles, but let us be honest, we all know these obligations mainly fall on women. Childcare is an obvious example. For years, exorbitant costs have meant it was more economic for one parent to stop working. In the vast majority of cases, this is the mother. For some women that is their choice. It should always be a choice, not a decision forced on them by Government failure. Childcare is symptomatic of the larger issue. The de facto Government policy for decades has been to base social and healthcare policy off the idea of a woman being in the home. Changing the Constitution might look good, but what actual difference will it make? I actually do not think it looks that good to announce it with great fanfare in 2023. It is embarrassing that it is still in our Constitution. What we need to prevent women from being in the home, and not holding them back in terms of their career, is a massive, radical change in how public services are delivered. Our health and social services need proper investments in staffing.

4 o’clock

This will not only help the people directly involved but will also help to relieve the massive pressure on women and men providing care.

International Women's Day is a day of celebration but it is also a day of extreme frustration, protest and activism. In 365 days' time, I imagine I will be standing before the House again on International Women's Day 2024 and the chances are I will be bringing up the same points as I have today because little or no action will have been taken. I look forward to a time in this country when issues such as domestic violence, women's healthcare and justice for survivors are not treated as fringe and tokenistic but as urgent and essential.

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