Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will share with Deputy Ward. I am incredibly happy to speak here on International Women's Day as a woman and a Deputy. I wish everybody, all the women and all the people who love women, a very happy International Women's Day. As a Sinn Féin Deputy, I am very much committed to the egalitarian and republican values of equality, liberty and, for the day that is in it, sorority. I wish the international sisterhood, especially those in Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Türkiye and Afghanistan, a very happy International Women's Day and encourage them to keep the faith. As a member of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality, I am really proud of the contribution of Sinn Féin members and of the recommendations of our final report. These included the recommendation that ten days' domestic violence leave be provided to women who seek it, which is in line with Bills brought forward by my comrades, an Teachta O'Reilly and uachtarán Shinn Féin, an Teachta McDonald.

I very much welcome last evening's announcement of the forthcoming referendum in November on women's place in the home. After spending yesterday on the phone trying to console terrified women who were crying their eyes out after the shameful decision by a shameless Government to get rid of the eviction ban, I will note that we also need a referendum on women's right to have a home. We need that quicksmart.

As a republican, it is important to me that International Women's Day not be about privileged women recognising and admiring the privilege in each other but about extending opportunity to all women. It must be about extending opportunity to women from all socioeconomic backgrounds, women of all colours, women of all creeds and none, women with disabilities, Traveller women, migrant women, younger women and older women not only in politics, but in public life more generally. For example, in the media we really need to hear accents and voices beyond the usual social suspects we hear on the Sunday morning radio shows.

I was in Maynooth University in my hometown on Monday to celebrate that we now have six, and soon to be seven, women presidents of Irish universities and I was struck by how many of them came from working class backgrounds. Their message was that equality of educational opportunity can help us unlock the potential in ourselves and, therefore, in society. While this is true to an extent, your level of intelligence, whether you have an intellectual disability or your ability to raise funds to avail of third level education should not be the decider. Being born in a republic should automatically provide you with that.

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