Public will need time to consider 'women in the home' referendum changes

The assembly's recommendations included removing 'the limits on women’s role, to value and recognise care in the home and the wider community; and to protect all families equally'.

The director of the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWC) has said  the wording of a referendum into the role of women in the home needs to be well thought out and that sufficient time must be given for the public to consider any proposed changes. 

In March this year, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman announced a referendum on gender equality and removing a Consitutional reference to a woman's place being in the home on foot of recommendations from the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality. 

The assembly's recommendations included removing "the limits on women’s role, to value and recognise care in the home and the wider community; and to protect all families equally”.

It is understood Mr Varadkar was keen to hold the referendum in November this year. However, organisations have called on the Government to publish the wording as soon as possible as the agreed timeline of mid-May has already passed. 

NWC director Orla O'Connor. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

However, NWC director Orla O'Connor said if the referendum was to go ahead early next year then the wording needed to be published in the next few weeks to allow sufficient time for a national conversation. 

“It's very important that the public has time to consider the changes and that we've time for that national conversation in terms of what's involved," she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Monday. 

"This really is a significant referendum. We've known for a long time that we need to remove Article 41.2, which relates to very much saying a women's role is in the home. And, you know, the National Women's Council is very clear, we want to see that out. But also significantly is the inclusion of the value of care and recognising the importance of care in our society.” 

Ms O'Connor said the Women’s Council agreed with the wording suggested by the Citizens' Assembly which recognised care in all its forms, inside the home, but also in the wider community. This needed to be in the broadest form.

She added the diversity of families also needed to be recognised.

It was a recognition of the value of care in society and the role of carers that was important, she added. It should not be limited to care in the home.

“We want to see broad recognition," Ms O'Connor said. 

This referendum would be different to recent referendums for marriage equality and Repeal the Eighth which had led to one direct change. 

“What this referendum will do... is create a very strong public mandate for the support for care in all its forms, for care, in terms of carers, but also in terms of things like public services in relation to care. So we see it as creating that public mandate," Ms O'Connor added. 

Ms O’Connor said the advice from the Electoral Commission needed to be taken into account with regard to the wording and format of the referendum, but the important thing was that there be a 16-week lead-in time to ensure “there is that conversation”.