What place should women be given in the Constitution? The Irish will decide by referendum next November. It may seem surprising, but since 1937, the article on the family always stipulates that the place of the woman is first in the home. The government had already promised to update the Constitution in 2018, to no avail. It is therefore a much-awaited vote.
With our correspondent in Dublin, Laura Taouchanov
Two articles are problematic in the Constitution. Articles 40 and 41 state that a woman’s place is in the home. The State should therefore ensure that they are not obliged to work to ensure that they can carry out their domestic tasks.
These words may shock, but they date from 1937, a period when Ireland was under the influence of a very puritanical branch of the Catholic Church.
These changes have therefore been demanded for a long time by a citizens’ assembly. These few lines will be deleted and replaced with non-gendered terms to talk about life at home.
This assembly of Irish people demands that the Constitution clearly mention the notion of gender equality and non-discrimination.
There must also be a change regarding the protection of all households, which is not limited to families with a married couple.
Long considered very conservative, Ireland has therefore been modernizing in recent years. The proof with these referendums for abortion and marriage for same-sex couples, where the “yes” vote largely won.
► Listen again: Irish women on the streets for abortion (2002)