The Citizens’ Assembly has recommended the removal of the so-called 'women in the home' clause from the Constitution.
The Assembly on Gender Equality recommended that Article 41.2 of the Constitution should be deleted and replaced with gender-neutral text.
The proposal was part of 45 guidelines announced by the 99-member group today.
These include recommendations on the Constitution, politics and leadership, caregiving and childcare, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, pay and the workplace and social protection.
The National Women’s Council (NWC) hailed the measures put forward by the Assembly "as a breakthrough for women’s equality" and called on the Government to prioritise their implementation "without delay".
Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC, said the recommendations "are ground-breaking" and "have the potential to really transform women's and girls’ lives in this country".
"In particular, we welcome the recommendation that the sexist and outdated wording of Article 41.2 of our Constitution should be removed and replaced by a recognition of the value of care within the home and the wider community," she said.
The Assembly is also advocating for Article 41 to be amended so that it would protect private and family life, with the protection afforded to the family not limited to the marital family.
Ms O’Connor said this is "particularly significant" and "very welcome news to lone-parent families and same sex families who have been without Constitutional protection for far too long".
The NWC is calling on the Government to hold a referendum in 2022 that would amend the Constitution in line with these recommendations.
Among the other proposals were the insertion of a new clause into Article 40 to refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination.
The Assembly voted for the extension of gender quotas for party candidates to local, Seanad and European elections by the end of 2022 and the increase in penalties for parties that don’t meet the quota.
They are also seeking a move to a publicly funded, accessible and regulated model of childcare over the next decade.
Paid leave for parents should cover the first year of a child’s life, be non-transferable, provide lone parents with the same total leave period as a couple and be incentivised by increasing payment levels to encourage increased take up, they said.
#CitizensAssembly voted 80.9% in favour of replacing the text of Article 41.2 with language that is not gender specific and obliges the State to take reasonable measures to support care within the home and wider community.
— The Citizens' Assembly (@CitizAssembly) April 24, 2021
They say there should also be changes to Carers Allowance, respite and pensions for family carers.
The Assembly is recommending that the revised Relationships and Sexuality curriculum should cover gender power dynamics, consent and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
They hope to see guidelines and specialist training developed for judges and lawyers regarding the treatment of victims/survivors, including the exclusion of the consideration of sexual history, character, attire and counselling/medical records.
On pay and social protection, the Assembly are advocating for an increase in the minimum wage to align it with the living wage by 2025.
They also recommended that technology and social media companies should be held accountable for immediately removing online content that constitutes sexual harassment, bullying, stalking, sexually violent or abusive content.
96.7% of members voted that over the next decade Ireland should move to a publicly funded, accessible and regulated model of quality, affordable early years and out of hour’s childcare. #CitizensAssembly
— The Citizens' Assembly (@CitizAssembly) April 24, 2021
The full text of all the recommendations and the full voting figures are available here.
Chair of the Assembly, Catherine Day, said that "everyone has their own personal experience of gender equality - or inequality".
"The recommendations the citizens agreed don’t just call for incremental change. They call for big changes that can make Ireland a better and more gender equal place to live for all of us," she added.
"They call for change in our Constitution, for new laws and policies and for stronger enforcement."
