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Referendum on gender equality being held in November

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The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman have announced the government’s plans to hold a referendum based on gender equality. 

The referendum was recommended to take place by the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and the Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality.

These committees are recommending an amendment to Articles 40 and 41 of the Irish Constitution, which is based on a woman’s “life within the home”.

They expect the referendum will take place in November of this year, and Minister O’Gorman is intending to publish the general scheme of the referendum bills by June.

When speaking about the referendum, Leo Varadkar stated, “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”.

Roderic O’Gorman also released a statement saying, “I commend the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality and the membership of the recent Special Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality for their work to advance these difficult and sensitive issues”.

He added, “My department will very shortly be convening an inter-departmental committee to develop policy recommendations for consideration by Government, with a view to agreement by Government of wording for the proposed referenda”.

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