March 8th 2024
International Women’s Day: Stay-at-home mum’s shouldn’t be degraded
Today-International Women’s Day – marks the start of the battle to axe ‘sexist’ language out of the Irish constitution.
Following years of pressure, the Irish government have agreed to hold two referendums. One seeks to axe references to a woman’s ‘duties in the home’ and the other is set to expand the definition of a family from being based on marriage to ‘durable relationships’ on the constitution.
Originally written in 1937, article 41.2 of the Irish Constitution reads: ‘The state recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the state a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.
‘The state shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.
Irish authorities have claimed that the language is ‘sexist’ and ‘outmoded’.
Against this backdrop, the most recent research from the Trades Union Congress found one in 10 women in their 30’s, which equates to more than 450,000 women, is out of the labour market because of caring responsibilities, compared to just one in 100 men that are the same age. This means that women are more likely than men to be unable to work due to family commitments at home.
In light of this research, Tracy Carroll, from Co Meath, told Sky News: ‘Women have been challenged their whole lives.
‘There place in society is seen as being in the home and looking after children and our husbands, and we’ve moved from that, but the constitution hasn’t moved from that, and a woman’s place is anywhere she wants it to be.’
Tracy is a full-time carer for her two children – one who has complex medical needs and the other who has autism.
However, echoing an opposing view, Brenda Power, a barrister, and a member of the Lawyers For No group has claimed that the views in the constitution are ‘fantastic’ and not worth arguing with.
She told Sky: ‘There was a poll out last week in which 70% of women who are currently working at home said, ‘yeah if I’d the option I’d stay at home’.
‘And that’s being portrayed as outdated and demeaning? I don’t consider the work women do in the home is demeaning, and the reality is that women are still the ones doing it.’
The outcomes of the two referendums will be announced sometime on Saturday after the votes have been counted at a centre in Dublin.
Leo Varadkar, an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, claims the result currently ‘hangs in the balance’.
Images: Gayatri Malhotra and Marcin Jozwiak
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