Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba bhreá liom tréaslú le mná na hÉireann, agus mná Gaelach na hÉireann ach go háirithe, ar an Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan seo. I, too, congratulate and thank the women of the world on International Women's Day. I thank, in particular, the women who, whether for specific periods or on a more indefinite, continuous basis, have brought joy and happiness into my life. I also salute the many achievements of the international women's movement and the efforts of colleagues in the House in reminding us of the significant milestone that is the 100th anniversary of the introduction of women's suffrage. We only have to read the daily court reports to see that society has a long way to go before men respect women and their dignity, and women's equal right to dignity and respect is fully recognised.

While it is only fair to salute the achievements of the international women's movement, I also wish to be a friendly critic. There are two blind spots in the movement at activist level. The first is the denial concerning abortion which, far from being a liberator of women, is actually a betrayer of women, not only of the girl child in the womb but the women who feel they have been betrayed, have not been supported and have been pressurised by others. The easy access to abortion in our world is often a tool for selfish men who view abortion as an easy way out. We need to hear more feminism for life and I hope we will do so in the coming weeks and months.

The second issue is in the area of gender equality. Equal pay should be a given and should go without saying. While it is provided for in law, whether it is always provided in practice is another matter. We also have a long way to go on family friendly workplaces, including in the Oireachtas. Requiring women to work at equal rates of intensity in the workplace regardless of whether they wish do so is not authentic feminism. While I do not often quote David Quinn in the Chamber lest Senators conclude we are twin brothers, he has something pungent to say today by way of an observation on International Women's Day. He states that radical feminism paradoxically makes men and their achievements the measure, and that everything feminine, meaning home and motherhood in particular, is to be demeaned. All women should work, like it or not, he adds, and women must be able to live and work as though they have no children so they can compete equally with men. This view, he points out, leads to an agenda for abortion and universal cheap day care, an aim that does a gross disservice to ordinary women. To that extent, radical feminism is, he says, anti-woman. This is a useful point to include in the debate. It is not a million miles away from the view expressed by Victoria White in a fine article in the Irish Examinertoday, which I commend. While International Women's Day is to be celebrated and a great deal has been achieved, much more must be done and some things must be changed.