Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted that the Minister is here for this all-important conversation. I am also delighted that I can contribute to the debate on and recognise International Women's Day, which took place yesterday. It is a day for acknowledging not only our struggles but also our successes. While there is a lot that divides us, there is more that unites us. While we have differences, we should not allow them to divide us when striving for greater equality. The Minister is committed to this area. We should utilise our differences in a positive way.

International Women's Day is a day to remind us about the wider conversation on gender and how we can pursue equality. We must open a wider conversation about marginalised groups in society. This morning, I raised a Commencement matter with the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne. I acknowledge both him and the Minister for Justice and their commitment to dealing with sexual violence against women. I raised the barriers facing non-fluent English speakers when reporting gender-based and sexual violence. This is an area of huge concern. Women are a marginalised group in their own right but we have to pay special attention to the groups of women who face further discrimination, such as trans women or Traveller women. We are very lucky to have our colleague Senator Flynn here. She represents that area and portrays a very positive image and is very good at bringing forward points and ideas. I also refer to women of colour and women with disabilities. Women in these groups feel disenfranchised at times but we should utilise these differences to unite ourselves.

Ironically, International Women's Day started with women in Russia on 23 February 1913. Their slogan was "Bread and Butter". In 1914, the day was recognised globally and the date for it was set as 8 March. It it important to recognise the women in Ukraine at the moment. The Acting Chair is very involved in the issues around surrogacy. Many mothers have been birthing in train stations and women who have given birth to surrogate babies in the last few days are now fleeing their country. It is frightening. We can all agree that the strength and courage of all Ukraine at the moment is admirable. Women there are experiencing very difficult circumstances and their strength is unimaginable.

I recognise the work the Minister is doing around breastfeeding. Limerick City and County Council was the first local authority to announce a breastfeeding-friendly city. I compliment it on its foresight in that regard. Limerick has had 826 mayors. Of those, five have been female. I am honoured to have been the fourth female mayor to serve in 826 years. Colleagues spoke about the strength of women on local authorities and what women have to offer there. We need to encourage more female participation. I am glad that the Minister mentioned childcare and the investment of €221 million in that regard. We have to support a greater work-life balance and we have to encourage women to come forward for election. This is something I feel very passionate about.

Ireland has a very long history of strong women going back to before the establishment of the Republic, including the work of the Daly sisters and Countess Markievicz. In recent years, we have had two female Presidents. Ireland has many issues around women's equality but there is no question that we have a history of women who have continuously and actively strived for a better and more equal world. G.D Anderson has said:

Feminism isn't about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.

We have women with strength and passion in our history books. In this Chamber alone there are so many female Senators who are actively breaking the bias on a daily basis. The theme of this year's event, #BreaktheBias, is to be commended. I pay tribute to a former Fine Gael Deputy, Ms Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins, who celebrates her 90th birthday this week. I wish her all the best. She retired from politics following the 1977 general election having served for 20 years as a Deputy. On breaking the bias, she fondly remembered being called to the Ceann Comhairle's office on more than one occasion for going into the Dáil bar, for not wearing a hat in the Chamber and for using the men's toilets as there were no female toilets in this building at that stage. The ladies had to go across the road to Buswell's Hotel. We have come a long way since then.

I came across another quote yesterday that stated "Well-behaved women seldom make history". "Behaved" may not be the best word to use in this sense but women and men who stick to the norms and do not break the bias will rarely be remembered. We owe it to society to continue to break the bias every day. By doing so, we can make a change for everyone in the Ireland of the future and hopefully across the world.