Máire Devine (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

You do if you want to. I think we know who we are talking about. I will talk about them later on, if the Deputy does not mind. Please do not interrupt me.

We remain underpaid in the office and we are not promoted at the same rate as our superior male colleagues, but we are expected to nimbly step through society’s carefully choreographed dance routine of what a woman should and should not be. Saying the words proclaiming that you want to work towards equality is not the same as working towards equality or enacting equality. I do not want International Women’s Day freebies in shops, annual praise or annual articles on women’s achievement without taking actual meaningful steps forward. It must begin now.

For all our achievements and sisterhood, in the blink of an eye, a single man’s words or actions can remind us that we are not equal and might never be. Here is a reality check: sexual harassment will affect four of every five women. The reality is that we are going backwards on equality. The worldwide current climate is veering towards embracing the “back in the box with you” mentality. Sexual harassment is perpetrated by powerful and influential men, with relative impunity: think Trump, Musk and England’s Andrew. Women continue to be burdened with 76% of all unpaid care work worldwide. Power and decision-making remain in the hands of men, who still hold three quarters of the world’s parliamentary seats and management positions. Granted, more women are visible around the table but the reality is that decision-making is a “real” man’s game.

Sex trafficking is very real and, in some cases, is rewarded. We need only reference the Tate brothers welcomed by the US Government last week. Rape and sexual assault continue to be wielded as a weapon against women. The image of strutting, preening MMA personalities is nauseating.

Are women central to every organisation, every company and everything for just one day? Forgive me if I do not bake my own cake for the day. We are important to every aspect of society. We are not an afterthought for a single day of events and celebrations. Equality and rights are not a choice; they are an imperative. Challenging the status quo is not a choice; it is a duty. Equality benefits all of society but if we do not have a seat at the table, then we are on the menu.

See this speech in context