Ireland’s government has announced that a referendum on gender equality will be held later this year. Proposals for constitutional amendments will be published by the end of June, with the referendum expected to take place in November.
According to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ:
The Government’s intention to hold this referendum follows recommendations made by the Citizen’s Assembly on Gender Equality two years ago.
The recommended amendments to Articles 40 and 41 of the Constitution included the “women in the home” reference – be deleted and replaced.
It was also recommended that the Constitution should refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination.
A Special Oireachtas Committee was established to consider their recommendations and the Government response and it concluded its work last December.
In announcing the planned referendum on gender equality and a timeframe, the Government has said it will establish an inter-departmental group this month to agree on proposals.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the intention is to remove the “outmoded reference to ‘women in the home’, in the constitution, in line with the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality:
“For too long, women and girls have carried a disproportionate share of caring responsibilities, been discriminated against at home and in the workplace, objectified or lived in fear of domestic or gender-based violence.
I am pleased to announce that the Government plans to hold a referendum this November to amend our constitution to enshrine gender equality and to remove the outmoded reference to ‘women in the home’, in line with the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality.”
