In Ireland, joint committee recommends constitutional change to achieve gender equality

An Oireachtas Joint Committee on Gender Equality has published a report [on 15 December] on methods of “achieving a gender equal Ireland,” which included recommendations on how articles of the Constitution could be rewritten. Chaired by Ivana Bacik TD, the committee held hearings to consider suggestions from the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality before producing the ‘Unfinished Democracy: Achieving Gender Equality‘ report. One suggestion was that the state hold a referendum in 2023 to allow for changes to Article 41.3.1, Article 40.1 and the reference of a woman’s “life within the home” included in Article 41.2.1 of the Constitution. [...] The report also suggests the establishment of a statutory Child Maintenance Agency that would keep disputes relating to child maintenance payments out of the courts where possible. It also recommended that action on the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence begins immediately, pending the establishment of the new Statutory National Agency. Requiring the Electoral Commission to review a national gender quota strategy in politics every five years and improving data systems within the criminal justice system to provide visibility on sentencing levels in sexual and domestic violence cases were also highlighted.
Read the full article here: The Journal