A referendum will be held in November to scrap a section of the constitution which states that a “woman’s place is in the home”, reports The Mirror.
The cabinet on Tuesday decided to hold a gender equality referendum following the recommendation of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and the Oireachtas Special Joint Committee on Gender Equality.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Equality Minister Roderick O’Gorman confirmed the news on International Women’s Day.
An interdepartmental group is expected to convene this month to develop policy recommendations for consideration by the government.
The government will agree the wording of the proposed referendum by mid-May, with any necessary legislation published by the end of June, reports The Mirror.
The electoral campaign will begin in late September with a referendum in November.
The civil assembly on gender equality announced in June 2021 that Articles 40 and 41 of the Constitution should be amended.
It includes amendments that will explicitly refer to gender equality and non-discrimination.
It also recommended amending Article 41 of the Constitution so as to protect family life, the protection provided to the family is not limited to the marital family.
It also recommended altering Article 41.2 which 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,” reports The Mirror.
Mr Varadkar said: “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,” reports The Mirror.
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