Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Mar 2025

Vol. 1064 No. 3

International Women's Day: Statements

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Norma Foley)

It is a great honour to stand here today, ahead of International Women’s Day, as the newly appointed Minister for children, disability and equality.

Throughout my career, it has always been incredibly important to me to ensure that women and girls of all ages have the same opportunities as their male counterparts in all aspects of their professional and personal lives. Equality of opportunity has always been a guiding principle for me in everything that I have sought to achieve throughout my time in government. In this spirit, I take on my new ministerial portfolio with a sense of hope and optimism that further progress can and will be made to improve our country for women and girls.

When I took part in negotiations to agree the programme for Government, I was very clear about my priorities and the need to improve and enhance our work on gender equality. The actions proposed by this Government on gender equality, some of which I will outline today, have never been more important and I look forward to working with this House and all stakeholders to ensure we can advance these priorities together.

As Minister with responsibility for gender equality, I am especially pleased that we will soon publish the next national strategy for women and girls. As we all know, robust policy is the cornerstone of social progress and is the bedrock upon which good decisions are made. I am immensely proud that a strategy like this one places the rights of women and girls at the heart of Government action. This new strategy will adopt what is termed a life cycle approach. This is an important framework that recognises that, as life evolves, so too do the challenges and opportunities that women and girls face. The life cycle approach is holistic in how it views the rights of women and girls and will enable the Government to tailor responses to the evolving needs of women and girls across the many different stages of life.

The Department is working hard with a variety of stakeholders, including the National Youth Assembly and the National Women’s Council of Ireland, to ensure that this strategy reflects the priorities of women and girls at all stages of life in a modern and ever-changing Irish society. I was very pleased to personally meet many of them this week at a roundtable discussion on the formation of the strategy.

Crucially, this new strategy will place a focus on how different policies, emerging from across the four corners of Government, directly impact women, especially those who come from marginalised communities, including women living with disabilities. In recent years, research has shown that women living with disabilities who claim low socioeconomic mobility often struggle to access and participate fully in public life.

As this new national strategy develops and evolves, it will focus on ensuring that we acknowledge and learn how day-to-day inequalities and disadvantage impact upon the lived realities of women in this country. In my role as Minister, with a broad portfolio, I will work to ensure that this strategy is co-ordinated and designed to reflect the priorities of women and girls no matter what their life story might be. In that spirit, the voices of women from all backgrounds and experiences, coupled with experts from across the fields of health, education and the social sector will all help to play a role in creating a strategy that will work to inform progressive Government decisions over the next number of years so that women and girls feel safe and supported. As Minister, I am very pleased to lead this process.

An important change in Irish life in recent decades has been the rise in the number of women in employment. However, women in the workplace still face an array of challenges. The gender pay gap highlights the inequalities women face in the workplace, especially when it comes to things like pay, access to work, progression within organisations, including serving in senior positions, as well as other key rewards and opportunities received as part of life in a professional setting. The Government is intent on leading important initiatives to wholeheartedly address the issues I have referenced.

While I acknowledge that challenges persist, it is always important to acknowledge how far we have come, to step back and see the progress that has been made. Specifically, Ireland has been a positive player in working to reduce the gender pay gap and good progress, but not enough progress, has been made in recent years. Our gender pay gap has reduced from 14.4% in 2017 to 9.6% in 2022. This has been achieved through a number of comprehensive measures, led by Government, including improving leave entitlements for parents, as well as investing in affordable childcare. Collectively, these measures have ensured that the Irish workplace is becoming a fairer environment for women, allowing them the opportunity to pursue the kinds of careers that they might wish to pursue.

Of course, in acknowledging the progress made, we must also seek to safeguard the achievements that we have made so that we can maintain a firm foundation upon which to build further. Right now, the Department is developing an online portal that will require organisations to report directly to Government on their gender pay gap. A database like this will become an invaluable resource to provide the evidence we need so that we can target and tailor further measures in the future.

Reporting on the gender pay gap began in 2022 for employers with over 250 staff and this reporting requirement has since been extended to those organisations with 150 employees or more. I am pleased to say that, this year, reporting obligations will be further extended to organisations with over 50 staff. Gender pay gap reporting is just one element of the EU directive on pay transparency, which aims to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. Work is under way to transpose the other elements of this directive, such as having employers advertise salary scales for roles, salary comparisons for similar roles and joint pay assessments for organisations that do not take steps to address their gender pay gaps.

Going to work and building careers is an important, significant and rewarding part of all our lives. It is the mission of this Government to make it fairer for women now, and for girls of the future, so they can be successful, contribute to the world and make a really positive difference in whatever field they might choose to dedicate themselves.

In our collective efforts to support women and girls, we must also think beyond the individual and also look towards the family to see how Government can better support parents and children.

This has been a clear commitment for this Government and the previous Government. We have made positive progress in this space over recent years but, again, more progress is required.

With regard to progress, parents are now entitled to nine weeks paid leave which can be taken within the first two years after birth. Additionally, parental leave entitlements have been increased from 18 weeks to 26 weeks. Breast-feeding breaks for employees have been extended to two years after the birth of the child. This is an important child well-being initiative which supports mothers in the workplace. Furthermore, there is now leave in place for the medical care of children under 12 years of age. A right to request flexible working arrangements has been introduced and significant reforms are ongoing to improve childcare affordability for parents. These supports are essential for women with children, especially those whose children have additional needs. I will be furthering this work to see what additional assistance we can provide to reduce the burden felt by those with competing care responsibilities.

We have also made provision for women who receive a serious diagnosis during pregnancy or during their maternity leave to put a pause on that leave and to return to it once they have had the necessary treatment. Doing this means that mothers and their babies can continue to have critical bonding time together, which is so formative in the early years of life. This is a very significant and positive step forward. It is also worth mentioning that those women who find themselves in situations of harm or physical danger at home can access domestic violence leave to allow them the opportunity to reach a safe space. Again, this is an important initiative.

The programme for Government commits to a number of actions that support women and their families, including the introduction of surrogacy leave for intending parents. Commitments have been included to examine the possibility of extending parents' leave so that parents get to spend quality time with their children in those crucial early years of life. I am pleased to say that provision has been made for women involved in public service both here in this House and in our councils across the country. In the past two years, our councillors and Oireachtas Members can now take maternity leave and, going forward, the programme for Government commits to establishing maternity, paternity and adoptive leave policies for all elected representatives.

Ensuring that women are represented in senior leadership teams is vital for enhancing decision-making and fostering innovation. The EU directive on gender balance on corporate boards requires member states to ensure that, by the end of June 2026, listed companies achieve 40% representation of women as board members. I am happy to report that Ireland has met this target early and has continued to exceed the EU average for the representation of women on the boards of the largest listed companies. When the Government first launched the balance for better business initiative in 2018, Ireland trailed the EU average by 7.8%, at 16th of the EU 27. Today, Ireland exceeds the EU average by 5.6% and is currently ranked sixth in the EU .

It is not lost on me that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which sets out an agenda for women’s empowerment globally. Developed at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, it consolidated five decades worth of legal advances aimed at securing gender equality in law and practices. On the occasion of this very significant anniversary, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is undertaking a review and appraisal of progress made in implementing the commitments set out in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Accordingly, all States are called upon to undertake a comprehensive national-level review of the progress made and, importantly, the challenges encountered. In this spirit, my Department has led work across government to prepare Ireland’s comprehensive national review. My colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will represent Ireland at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York this month. The Minister will elaborate upon the substantial progress made in fostering gender equality in Ireland and will assert the need to continue this work both at home and abroad.

Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence remains a scourge on society, and collectively we need to fight against the normalisation of such behaviour, to amplify the voice of women in the midst of such situations, and for those survivors who have important stories to share and to tell. Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2022- 2026, and the establishment of Cuan, the dedicated domestic violence agency, are significant initiatives which reflect the Government’s ongoing commitment to combating such violence.

As Minister, I will continue to support my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, to press for ongoing progress to support survivors and to strengthen our preventative mechanisms. In 2023, as part of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, an entitlement to five days paid domestic violence leave was introduced to support women in the workplace with time to attend medical or court appointments when in such traumatic circumstances. My officials will be commencing a review of the legislation in November, two years after the entitlement being introduced, to ensure that the leave is fit for purpose or to consider whether changes might be needed going forward.

In 2024 Ireland submitted its eighth State report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This convention, adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as the international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. Ireland signed and ratified this convention in 1985. By accepting the convention, Ireland has committed itself to enacting the necessary measures to end discrimination against women in all its forms. Most significantly, this includes enshrining the principle of equality between men and women in law and striving to achieve equality in the areas of public life, health, education and other employment. Last year, my Department submitted Ireland’s comprehensive response to the committee’s list of issues, and in June of this year a cross-government delegation will attend before the committee to answer questions on Ireland’s record and actions under the convention. The Government will continue to engage positively with bodies across Irish society to ensure the comprehensive implementation of Ireland’s commitments under this convention.

We know that the pursuit of gender equality is an issue that concerns us all, including everyone in this House, as well as all those who walk the streets of our towns and villages right across the entire country. For women and for men, for girls and for boys, it is vital that we achieve a fair and equal society, where opportunity is in place for everyone. In this spirit, the Government is committed to making a difference. This is not just a promise made in words but one which has played out, and will continue to play out, in our actions, including those which I have outlined to the House today. Progress will be our mainstay and we will continue to strive for a society of opportunity, respect and equality. In the words of a celebrated Kerry woman, Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, “Every day brings a new possibility." I look forward to working with my Cabinet colleagues, Department officials, stakeholders and everyone in this House and across this country to make this happen.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

Tugann Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan deis dúinn go léir machnamh a dhéanamh ar an am atá caite agus tabhairt faoin todhchaí go cróga. Déanann muid ceiliúradh ar na glúnta máithreacha, iníonacha agus deirfiúracha ar diúltaíodh fios a bheith acu agus a tháinig timpeall ar dhúshlán doshéanta le misneach an t-athrú a chur i gcrích. Tá dul chun cinn suntasach bainte amach ag mná ag obair le chéile, ach tá rás fada fós le rith.

We speak up for women who face incredible challenges and injustice but move mountains to keep the show on the road and protect those they love, for mothers forced into homelessness and raising their children in emergency accommodation, for carers whose heroic work goes unrecognised by Government and for those women whose children have special needs and face a daily battle to access essential services and school places.

The symptoms of inequality are still with us in Ireland today. As women, we face discrimination when it comes to opportunity, the gender pay gap and glass ceilings. Women have blazed a trail, achieved and risen to the top in many areas: business, politics, the arts, sports, broadcasting and entertainment. While celebrating these successes, I am reminded of how Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels. When women achieve and rise to the top, we must clear far more obstacles for others to follow.

The inequality we face today finds its most devastating form in the epidemic of violence against women. The number of emergency calls to gardaí reporting domestic abuse rose from over 44,000 in 2020 to over 65,000 last year. Since 1996, 267 women have died violently, 63% of whom were killed in their own home. The physical and sexual violence inflicted on women is horrific, as are coercive control, emotional abuse, economic control and the rise in revenge porn. It is a damning failure of Government that nine counties remain without a refuge for women fleeing violence. That must be put right urgently. We need an all-of-government response that changes the story, that challenges and changes the misogynistic culture that sees women and girls abused, intimidated, living in fear and, in too many cases, their lives brutally taken.

Is cinneadh é cothrom na Féinne. Ní bheidh comhionannas ag mná go dtí go bhfuil níos mó ban ag an mbord. We need more women in the Oireachtas and sitting in government. As the first women to lead the Opposition in the Dáil, I am pleased my party, Sinn Féin, is just about reaching the 40% threshold in our team of TDs. I have to reflect our disappointment that of the 15-person Cabinet, only three are women. That was a step backwards. If things are ever going to change, the message must be a women's place is here in Leinster House and real and consistent action must follow that message.

We fight the battles of today in the hope our daughters will not have to fight them tomorrow. Our goal remains equality for all women and girls. That is the Ireland and the world I want for my daughter. I want it for my son also. The women of Ireland keep our eyes on the horizon and our shoulders to the wheel and will stand together until that day of full equality is finally achieved.

Deputy Claire Kerrane

I will raise a number of issues where, primarily, women are impacted by Government policy. I will start almost where the Minister started, that is, on affordable childcare. No matter how many times the Government says childcare costs have been cut by 50%, it does not make it true. A survey last year put monthly childcare in various counties at over €600, €800 and €1,100. In the context of the fee assessment for those receiving core funding, we know the majority of those which look to raise their fees will be allowed to do so. This will mean additional childcare costs for many parents across the State.

The programme for Government commits to a review of core funding. I ask the Minister to progress it as quickly as possible. We need an independent and thorough review of core funding for children, parents and providers. Early years educator is primarily a role filled by so many women who do a wonderful job and play an important role in the lives of children and babies. We have a staff turnover rate in some counties of over 50%. I am not sure when the alarm bells will go off in government about the serious recruitment and retention crisis among early years educators. They are leaving in droves.

The main issue always comes down to pay. In the SIPTU survey last year, 86% of early years educators said it was pay. The mechanism the Government is using, namely the JLC, is not working. The last pay increase, shamefully, was 65 cent - a slap in the face to these professionals. It took 14 months to negotiate and they got 65 cent. Their current minimum hourly rate is 15 cent above the minimum wage. These are people with degrees and years of experience. They are the people we leave our most precious human beings with. We need to look at pay and at the failed mechanism being used. If we continue to rely on the JLC, we will continue to lose early years educators from the sector. That means baby rooms and other rooms closing, it means longer waiting lists and it means fewer professionals, which means less childcare at a time when the demand could not be greater.

I pay tribute to lone parents, many of whom are women. We still have an issue with child maintenance. I have been raising it here since I was elected. The mother - typically it is the mother - seeks maintenance. She goes round in circles. Bench warrants are often issued and sit on Garda desks. It goes back to court again and again. It is always left on the shoulders of lone parents. I have repeatedly put forward our proposal to establish a child maintenance service, similar to the one in place in the North of Ireland. I ask that this be considered.

Family carers are waiting for proper income support. We need the means test to be removed. Foster carers are waiting for a State pension.

I met last week with Cared Ireland, which raises issues relating to eating disorders. I spoke to one of its members last night. They told me of yet another young person, a 22-year-old woman, who has died of an eating disorder. There are no services or supports worth a damn in this State. We are losing people through an illness that is treatable. That is a serious issue.

Deputy Joanna Byrne

Gender balance is important in all walks of life but especially in any organisation that leads our society. I am a firm believer in national and local politics being reflective of the times we live in and am proud to speak on my first International Women's Day as a TD for Sinn Féin, a party that champions real change and prides itself on elevating women. I am lucky to be surrounded by capable and committed women on the Sinn Féin benches, none more so than our formidable party leader, Mary Lou McDonald.

When we as community leaders inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. When women are inspired to be included, there is a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment. I have always been passionate about breaking down barriers for young women. My commitment to this is probably what led me to being an unintended politician. I have been fortunate to have a platform to voice these causes through community activism, many years on Louth County Council and, hopefully, my work in this House.

While International Women's Day tends to focus on women, understandably, it is important to note the role men play daily in breaking down barriers, working towards gender equality and helping to break bias, stereotypes and discrimination. While much has been done, there is much more to do. The "Accelerate Action" theme of this year's International Women's Day is more important than ever.

In my downtime and when not wearing my political hat, I take great pride in being the first female chairperson of a League of Ireland club throughout the history of all 20 clubs in the country. I am also the youngest chairperson. It was an honour for me to be appointed chair of Drogheda United Football Club, the club I love so dear, in November 2022. Anyone who knows me knows I wear my colours with deep pride and am very proud of the club for being so progressive in appointing a female leader and making history in doing so. If me being in this role helps break down barriers for women in a male-dominated world, I have no doubt it will in time pave the way for further opportunities for like-minded women throughout the League of Ireland.

While my late grandad fuelled my passion on the pitch and my involvement with the Drogs, one person has been my greatest inspiration in everything I have done and continue to do. That is my mam, Martina. She is a survivor. She is strong, brave and resilient. She is my driving force every day. She is my mam, dad, best friend and mentor, and I would not have achieved anything I have in my life without her. I dedicate this to her today.

Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan

On Saturday, we mark International Women's Day. We celebrate the resilience, strength and the invaluable contributions women make every day in Irish society but we must also confront the inequalities that persist in our society. I raise in particular the immense role women across Ireland contribute as carers for those in need. We all recognise that carers are the backbone and support for so many in need in communities across Ireland. We must recognise and acknowledge, however, it is women who form the majority of carers across Ireland. We are more likely to be primary care givers and spend significantly more hours each week in unpaid roles. Women carers are also more than likely to live in lone parent households, struggling financially, all while balancing care with employment.

Tragically, since the Covid pandemic, isolation has deepened and women report higher levels of severe loneliness. These findings are not just statistics; they are the lived experience of female carers across Ireland. These women sacrifice careers, economic security and well-being to care for loved ones. This toll is immense. Financially, they depend on partners due to the outdated and harsh means test for carers allowance, they see reduced workforce participation and the erosion of their social lives. This is not a choice but a societal expectation that entrenches gender inequality. It is time for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to stop paying lip service to carers.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

Hear, hear.

Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan

We need to see meaningful action that will bring positive change. This International Women's Day, let us raise our voices as a society to say we value carers as an essential part of our society and we demand they are given the support and respect of which they are so deserving.

I commend my own mother, who looked after my father, and was a carer for a number of years. Their role is vital and we could not do this without them. They need to be recognised.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell

Hear, hear.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

I was a union organiser before I was elected to this House and health, safety and welfare at work is very important to me. It is no less important here in my current workplace. I will not tolerate any ambiguity and I will not be silenced when I raise issues of concern. I have read, as we all have, in media reports about the inappropriate behaviour of a sitting Fine Gael Senator. I have asked questions of An Tánaiste, the leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Simon Harris, and yesterday I wrote to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, who was Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad when these incidents occurred.

I put these questions onto the record and I expect they will be answered. As I have said, health, safety and welfare at work is really important and it is no less important for us here as women working in the Oireachtas. The questions are very simple and the answers should come very quickly from the Fine Gael Party. The questions I put to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, were: When did you become aware that Senator Martin Conway was under investigation? Did Senator Martin Conway contact you on receipt of the complaint made against him in 2020? Did you advise Senator Martin Conway in relation to the complaint made against him? Did you or Fine Gael obtain the services of a solicitor to act on behalf of Senator Martin Conway? Did you inform the Houses of the Oireachtas or the gardaí in relation to the serious allegations?

Every International Women's Day since I have been elected we come in here and, genuinely, I could have just printed out the previous statements I have made on this because very little changes. We cannot ignore, however, what is a serious issue of health, safety and welfare for the women working here in this Oireachtas and for that reason, I expect that the serious questions I have asked about my workplace will be answered and will be answered in here on the floor of this Dáil.

Deputy Marie Sherlock

Is léir go bhfuil dhá cheiliúradh an tseachtain seo, idir Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan agus Seachtain na Gaeilge. Cé go bhfuil iliomad dúshlán os ár gcomhair, tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuilimid ag caint faoinár ndul chun cinn. Sa Dáil seo, tá níos mó ban tofa mar Theachtaí Dála, agus cé gur rud dearfach é sin, is léir go bhfuil a lán le déanamh. Tá gá mór ann chun níos mó tacaíochta a thabhairt do mhná ionas go mbeidh níos mó ban sa pholaitíocht go gineareálta, sna local authorities agus i dTeach Laighean. I am glad to have the opportunity to be here today to mark International Women's Day. It is worth recalling its history because it was first marked by the socialist movements in the United States and in Germany, well over 100 years ago. Indeed, it was the Bread and Roses strike in Massachusetts in 1912 that fought for better wages, shorter working hours and respect for women in the workplace that has commenced that true marking of International Women's Day that we have had ever year on 8 March.

I know many people will use the world "celebrate" for International Women's Day and, in some ways, I prefer to say the word "mark" that day because it feels that in 2025, in particular for many women in this country, we are going backwards, not forwards. When you look at women and mothers in the main bearing the brunt of the increase in our housing crisis and that three of every four families made homeless since the eviction ban was lifted are single parent families - the majority of these are mothers. They are bearing the brunt of the failure of this Government to ensure we have enough affordable housing in this country.

It is women and mothers, in particular, who are bearing the brunt of the shocking lack of access to therapies and supports for children with additional needs in this country. Last Friday, when families camped overnight outside the Department of Education, it was mainly mothers who were there. They are the people who are bearing the brunt, along with the children, of the shocking lack of support to families - the 2,596 families. Indeed, in my constituency of Dublin Central, they have an agonising wait for the assessment of needs, knowing it will take three to four years and, of course, it will be another three to four years before they have access to therapies. That is having an impact on the child, on the school environment and, of course, on family life.

Women and mothers, in the main, bear the brunt of the lack of childcare that we have in our country. I am glad to see the Minister is in the Department of children now but we have a huge amount of work to do - not just looking at affordability, which I know is the main focus of this Government looking at the programme for Government - on expanding the number of places. In the constituency I represent, affordability is an issue but the far bigger issue is that people cannot access places. In the survey we conducted last year and the year before, 40% of parents were waiting 18 months plus to try to get a childcare place. What impact does that have on women's working lives, on families' lives and on their ability to earn and pay their bills? It is having a really appalling impact on women's careers.

We talk about the gender pay gap. The lack of childcare contributes to that hugely. Approximately 30% of women in this country's workforce are in part-time employment. Some are there voluntarily but the vast majority are there because of the shortage of services, but with regard to childcare and elder care. We sometimes see figures put out that there is a 14% gender pay gap in this country; that is not accurate. It is far closer to 24% when you look at the gap between the weekly wage of the average male income relative to the average wage of a woman working in this country because it is both hours worked and the hourly rate that we have to look at. Of course, the pension pay gap is much greater again and is in excess of more than 30%.

What is shameful on the part of the previous Government and, indeed, the Department the Minister has now gone into, is that there was an opportunity and the potential to allow women, in particular, but men and women, the ability to have flexible work arrangements. We could have legislated for that. Instead, the Minister's Department has decided to legislate for a very narrow set of rights. There is a right to request remote work, which is not really worth the paper it is written on, and a set of flexible working rights that is confined to those caring for children under the age of 12 or for immediate family members. That is not good enough. It is not good enough when we consider that Ireland has the highest number of lone parents unemployed when you compare Ireland to every other EU member state.

It is not good enough when we consider that we in this country have the highest number of jobless disabled persons in the EU. The right to flexible work would have afforded an opportunity to these people to ensure they had a chance to get work and flexible work arrangements and ensure a higher income into their household. Yet, unfortunately, the previous Government and the Government of which the Minister is a part have walked away from that. I hope she will revisit that in time.

Many of us in this Chamber spoke last week on a motion on domestic and gender-based violence in this country. Many of us spoke about the experiences and the interactions we have had in particular with women who have been let down by our system in their interaction with An Garda Síochána. There are fantastic gardaí dealing with women in domestic violence situations, but the reality is that there are other gardaí who have not received the appropriate training. There is no mandatory training for front-line policing in this country with regard to domestic and gender-based violence. That is an issue.

It is an issue that we continue to have such a low number of refuge places. Ireland signed the Istanbul Convention in 2011. We had 131 refuge places then; we have 159 now. We are literally running to stand still. There is no meaningful increase in the number of refuge places in this country when we consider that our population has grown by almost half a million during that time. It is wrong that we have so few refuge places. The ambition and target of 240 places set out in the programme for Government is still woefully inadequate. Will the Minister take on responsibility for ensuring we have a far higher number of refuge places, not only in every county but within counties, to make sure there are a sufficient number of places?

I wish to highlight the issue of access to women's health services, in particular the treatment of endometriosis and the numbers of women who have to travel to Romania and other countries every year because of the lack of services in this country. Admittedly, there has been some marginal improvement, but we need to see an awful lot more improvement for a condition with which women have been suffering in silence for many years. A huge amount of work needs to be done there.

An issue close to my heart is the provision of, and State support towards, fertility treatment. While we now have State support in a way we did not previously, it is still very narrowly confined to a small number of women and couples. That needs to change because far too many people are being deprived of the right and opportunity to have a family because of the exorbitant cost of going through fertility treatment. We in the Labour Party brought forward a Bill in the Seanad - I know it was brought here to the Dáil as well - back in 2021. It provided for a right to workplace leave for those experiencing early miscarriage or those going through fertility treatment. The Minister's predecessor commissioned a report led by Professor Keelin O'Donoghue in UCC. That report set out very clearly what should happen and made a series of recommendations with regard to workplace leave for those experiencing early miscarriages. That report is sitting on a shelf and nothing has been done. That needs to change because of the number of stories that have come into my office, to the people around me and, I know, to many of my colleagues, and because of the demand that exists. People have gone through horrendous situations, such as going through early miscarriages, where the workplace has not provided for or recognised those. This was a campaign initiated by the INTO and it is important to pay tribute to it. We in the Labour Party will continue to pursue and to campaign for that Bill to be enacted. I hope the Minister will respond positively towards that.

Deputy Maeve O'Connell

I welcome the opportunity that has been given to us today to make statements for International Women's Day, although I know for many of us it has actually been quite a busy week attending many events both here in the House and in our constituencies. I myself just an hour ago was attending an event in my constituency which was hosted by Sandyford Business District, celebrating and supporting women's leadership and highlighting the importance of women's participation at every level of our society, from grassroots to boardrooms.

That is why I highlight today an issue that is very close to my heart. I also know it is close to Deputy Ní Bhroin's heart, as she mentioned it as well. It is the area of sports. One of the interesting reports I have read was done by the EUI. It was a survey of senior business and executive women leaders and it found that 94% of them had participated actively in sport through school and-or college, highlighting the importance of the transferability of skills that are gained through active participation in sport into one's professional life. That is why it is so important we continue to invest in and support women in sports for the benefit that they and our future generations of young women will gain both on and off the pitch.

This Government has done good work on this already. My colleague, Alan Dillon, and the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media published a report last year on this very topic, inclusion in sport, and made a number of excellent recommendations, which I will mention later. I found it interesting that only three of the Oireachtas Members on that committee were female. It is very difficult to capture the female perspective if they are not in the room, and this is always one of the challenges we have here in this House.

I also looked back on the report from 20 years earlier, in 2004, on women and sport. Those reports found that a lot of the barriers in 2004 were still there last year: lack of finance and facilities, lack of media coverage, lack of role models and insufficient numbers of sports leaders.

The Government has made real progress in recent years on this, and I would like to highlight some positive news to Deputies O'Reilly and Sherlock. There are now more all-girls schools offering PE as a leaving certificate subject than all-boys schools, something that would have been a very surprising fact not so long ago. Let us take just the six years from 2018 to 2024. In 2018 there were only 677 female leaving certificate PE students but now it is 7,296. That is a dramatic change and it shows the difference that can be made with the level of investment and focus on issues by the Government.

I mentioned the report from last year which made a number of pragmatic recommendations, which I believe, if implemented, can help bridge the gap between men's and women's sports and sports activity. In particular, I wish to highlight one of them, which was about supporting smaller, volunteer-led national governing sports bodies, of which we have very many, and we have very many dedicated people. I have spoken to many women involved in these organisations who are giving of their time to keep their sport alive. One I will highlight in particular is Softball Ireland, which, again, is all volunteer run and led. Its very structure and its very playing rules make it among the most all-inclusive sports out there for all ages, abilities and genders. Supporting those types of organisations can make a difference. I do not want to find ourselves here in another ten years' time, in 2035, talking about what the Government should be doing to help support women in sport. We need to act now, based off last year's report, to remove these barriers and to provide the necessary supports for women.

I appreciate that in this Dáil we have talked and will continue to talk about a lot of the big issues facing our younger generations: housing, health, education, climate and, unfortunately, the spectre of war on the horizon and at our borders. We may not think sports participation is as important, but it is a critical issue because the link between physical activity and positive childhood development is very well established. Sport Ireland's 2022 report found that only 23% of primary and only 12% of post-primary students reach the criteria for national activity. This will impact their mental, physical and professional futures, so it is something we need to focus on. If we want to secure the future of our younger generations, it is not something we can afford to neglect. I ask everybody here, every TD, Senator, parent, brother and sister, to try to encourage someone they care about to stay active in sport.

I wish everyone a happy International Women's Day.

Deputy Grace Boland

As we gather here today to celebrate International Women's Day, I find myself reflecting on my own journey to this Chamber. Growing up in the eighties, I dreamed big.

Playing with my Barbie dolls - office, doctor and astronaut Barbie - I imagined a future where I could be anything I wanted to be. Encouraged by my parents and inspired by Barbie, I believed that hard work would make those dreams a reality. When I entered the workforce, though, I quickly realised the playing field was far from even. Promotions were not always based on merit and women often faced the harsh reality of the motherhood penalty. The dreams I had as a child suddenly felt much harder to achieve in the real world.

Today, Barbie has evolved. She represents diverse ethnicities, body types, disabilities and careers. Yet when I look around this Chamber, I see we still have a long way to go to reflect the true diversity of our country. Until this House reflects the diversity of our society, until every individual regardless of gender or background has an equal opportunity to succeed, we cannot call our democracy complete.

I struggle with International Women's Day, as although it is an opportunity to recognise the incredible contributions of women to Irish society, it is also a day that is a stark reminder of how far we still have to travel to have equality of opportunity in Ireland. There is an abundance of studies which evidence that greater equality and diversity lead to better profitability, better governance and more creativity and innovation. Despite this, progress remains slow. Too many glass ceilings remain and, internationally, women's rights are in reverse.

Research also shows that women's participation in the Irish workforce over the past 40 years has been a key driver of our economic success, yet the one thing many women need to return to the workplace is simply not available to them. Childcare is not a luxury, a perk or about letting women return to the workplace. It is much more important to the Irish economy than that. Childcare is essential infrastructure that is the key to unlocking Ireland's best resource, namely, our educated women and men.

Balancing motherhood and a professional career is one of the greatest challenges women face. Like so many mothers, I was one of the women whose careers suffered as a result of becoming a mother, unable to return to the position I held before my maternity leave and unable to access suitable childcare options in my community. I consider myself lucky because I was able to pivot my career and set up my own business. I am acutely aware, however, that not all women can do this and that having a family can have a profound impact on a mother's career trajectory and options. We must urgently invest in childcare and support providers to deliver more accessible and flexible options now, especially in rapidly growing constituencies like mine of Dublin Fingal West. We cannot wait for two, three or four years. The unmet demand in this regard is preventing women today from returning to work, creating immense stress for families and costing our economy dearly.

Too many barriers still prevent men from taking the statutory leave they are entitled to. It needs to become socially acceptable for fathers to take time out of the workplace for their parenting responsibilities. We need to see dads at every level of Irish society do this for it to become normalised. Those of us in political parties, men and women, must lead by example and we must hold our parties to account and ensure women are genuinely encouraged and empowered to become leaders within our ranks. We owe it to our children to deliver a level playing field. I want to be able to tell my daughters they can be anything they want to be, not because it is a dream, but because it is a reality. We must stop dreaming of a finished democracy. It is our responsibility to dismantle the barriers that hold women and men back. Today, let us commit to action. Let us deliver policies that promote gender equality, challenge the status quo and empower women to pursue their dreams without fear of discrimination or penalty.

Deputy Ann Graves

I am honoured to speak here today to mark International Women's Day. As a life-long trade unionist and activist, I see a clear link between the struggle for women's rights and the struggle for workers' rights. International Women's Day grew out of the labour movement in the US and workers' struggle for better conditions. It was marked for the first time by the UN in 1975. In December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace, and so it began.

This year, the theme of International Women's Day is: "For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment". That is a powerful global message. This year's theme calls for action by us all to unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a feminist future where nobody is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation - our youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls - as a catalyst for real and lasting change. Before 1995, only 12 countries had legal sanctions against domestic violence. Today, 1,583 legislative measures are in place across 193 countries, including 354 targeting domestic violence specifically. We have made good progress since 1908, but we have a long distance to go until we will have achieved full and total equality between men and women.

This Government may trumpet economic growth but women remain the largest group of people excluded from their fair share of benefits in our economy. A clear example of this is the gender pay gap, which is institutional sexism. It is unacceptable and needs to change. It will only change when the very systems that exclude working class women are fundamentally changed.

Every day in my constituency office in Swords, I meet women who are victims of abuse, mental and physical. With the housing crisis and lack of spaces in refuges, there is nowhere for women to go. Women flee the family home while the abuser gets to stay in the home. The woman gets punished twice, once by her abuser and again by the system. I am dealing with one woman who has sought a transfer because her abuser lives very close by. She sees him every day, which replays the horrors of her abuse. She has been told by her local council that he is innocent until the case is heard in court. This is just one of many such cases where women have nowhere to escape to. Other women who have been through the system say that men get a slap on the hand where they are left with physical and mental scars for the rest of their lives. Tackling domestic violence must become a priority for this Government.

Women are still not represented equally here in the Oireachtas or in local government and this situation has a real and immediate impact on women. With a growing representation of Sinn Féin TDs, we intend to keep raising the issues that deeply impact women.

Deputy Sinéad Gibney

I am thankful to have the opportunity to make this statement as we approach International Women's Day. Although I like to focus my comments in these days very much on the celebration of gender equality, it is important to call out a few issues keeping me awake at night. The first one I want to talk about is toxic masculinity, its proliferation online now and the grooming and the exploitation of young men. We are seeing an ideological wedge being driven between young men and young women. We are seeing young women gravitate towards a more progressive ideology and young men, unfortunately, being dragged further towards this toxic masculinity and even misogyny. It is something we as legislators have a real responsibility to address.

The second issue I wish to mention is representation. As we heard, we obviously have a very poor record in terms of representation of women in the Dáil. We represent 25% of the Dáil and are 104th in the global ranking for parliamentary representation. What I wish to call out is that, additionally, we have women in this Chamber who are, unfortunately, fairly homogenous. We do not see the representation of minority women that we need to see. I refer to women with disabilities, Traveller women, trans women, migrant women and women of colour. We have a duty and an obligation as women in this Chamber to represent their interests and to hold this space until we truly have a Parliament that reflects the society it serves.

I want to celebrate two women in my comments. They are women who forged a path for themselves and others in this Chamber. They are, of course, Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy, the co-founders of our party. It is not easy being a woman in politics, but it is easier now because of the work they have done. They are such strong examples of accountability and public service. They are examples showing that women can be leaders and can be respected and capable in the role of a TD. Truly, there are many of us here in the Social Democrats who simply would not be here without the work they have done. Women have changed Ireland for the better. We saw this with repeal, the divorce referendum and multiple campaigns and contributions. Our perspective helps us all as a population to see how things can be better. Our ability means we have shaped a better Ireland. I truly hope that we as the Thirty-fourth Dáil can go even further with that because níl aon saoirse gan saoirse na mban. Go raibh maith agat.

Deputy Pádraig Rice

At the outset, we need to acknowledge that we still live in a very unequal society. There is lots to be done to deliver true equality for women in Ireland. From Cabinet to boards, women are still underrepresented in positions of power. This needs to change. In particular, we need to address the inequality faced by women from minority and disadvantaged communities such as Traveller, disabled, migrant, black, lesbian, trans and older women and those from other disadvantaged backgrounds.

I wish to mention health-related issues. There is still inadequate provision of research on women's health beyond maternity and reproductive health. We get emails to our office about frustration with the healthcare system and women's access to healthcare and, as mentioned earlier, in particular around endometriosis. It is welcome that a Government framework is in place but more needs to be done. We know that there is delayed diagnosis internationally, taking up to eight years from when an individual first contacts a doctor experiencing symptoms to receiving a firm diagnosis. Better supports and services need to be in place.

There are still issues concerning access to abortion. Some GP clinics and hospitals still do not offer full abortion services. We know that more than 1,000 women have travelled to England and Wales to access abortions since 2019. It is nearly two years since the Marie O'Shea report was published. The Oireachtas committee reviewed the report and called for its recommendations to be implemented in full. We are still waiting for that, particularly for the three-day waiting period to be removed and the decriminalisation of medical professionals who provide abortion. We would like to see progress in that area.

A colleague mentioned the rise in misogyny, particularly among young men. There are real worries about the attitudes of younger men, the rise in misogyny online and toxic content. We need to address this, understand it better, understand how these men are targeted and how to tackle that. We also know the shocking figures concerning violence against women in this country. Reports to Women's Aid are at an all-time high, with one in four women experiencing sexual violence from a partner and one in five experiencing abuse by an intimate partner before the age of 25. Better supports and more refuge spaces are needed. The Government needs to commit to building a Republic of equals that treats everybody equally and delivers equality for women in Ireland.

Deputy Jen Cummins

On International Women's Day, every day and every year, this House has statements on issues facing women. I feel a bit heavier this year because of the number of domestic violence services that have come into the audiovisual room here since I was elected in November. A motion tabled by Deputy Coppinger has been debated. The issue of gender-based violence in this country is not reducing; in fact, it might be completely out of control. So many women are dying in their homes or are being abused in their homes that today, I feel we cannot celebrate until every woman is safe and is not being subjected to that. Over the past number of weeks, we have spoken about counties that do not have any domestic violence refuges. It is an absolute shocking shame that we need to have refuges in the first place - there should not be any violence against anybody, particularly in their own home - but if we do need them, we need them where they are needed in every county. As other people said, the percentage of women in this Dáil is only 25% and it is even less in Cabinet. The Social Democrats have noted previously there are as many men named James as women at the Cabinet table. Until we see more women here, the real-life issues facing women will not be listened to and we will not be able to sort these things out. Half the population is women so half this Dáil should be women. Representation matters. A Deputy on the other side of the House spoke about Barbies. When I was growing up, Barbies only represented one type of person. I did not think I would be this person when I was playing with my Barbies and my Cindys at that time. We need to get a grip in this country about the fact that we need more women in this House. If you cannot see it, you cannot be it. All of us still sitting here today - many are not here, men and women - need to make sure this country is a safer place to be a woman and a girl. Let us make sure in five years that there are more women in this House in order that we can make this country safer and better for all girls and women.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

Here is to strong women. May we know them, be them and raise them. Actually - you know what - let us not. Let us stop placing enormous expectations and burdens on women. Let us stop expecting women to be strong all the time, to be superheroes and to fill every single gap left by a failure of policy, politicians and successive governments to provide the supports and services women need. For generations in Ireland, women have had to do it all. Women are primarily responsible for caring for children and elderly parents. Women are generally responsible for caring for family members with disabilities and for fighting for school places, assessments of needs or disability supports. Women are far too often responsible for fighting for justice when the system fails victims of gender-based violence and for fighting for healthcare. We have seen far too many instances in which women have literally been fighting from their deathbeds for the girls and women who come after them so they do not have to fight the same fight when it comes to proper healthcare for women.

Women have had to do it all and quite frankly it is exhausting. Women are just asking for some help. We just want to live normal lives and not have to be superheroes all the time. This International Women's Day, I call on the Government to take action to support women; no more empty statements or promises. The Government has a responsibility to women in Ireland and a job to do. Please step up and do it.

Deputy Martin Daly

Today, on International Women's Day, we celebrate progress, acknowledge ongoing inequalities and renew our commitment to a world free from gender bias, discrimination and violence. As a TD and GP, I see at first hand how gender inequality affects women in the workplace, at home and in healthcare. While Ireland has made significant strides in advancing women's rights, many barriers to full equality remain. Gender-based violence continues to be a national crisis. The CSO's 2022 survey revealed that 52% of women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2023, Women's Aid recorded more than 40,000 disclosures of abuse, an increase of nearly 18% from the previous year. There have been 273 violent deaths of women since 1996, usually at the hands of someone they knew. For women in rural Ireland, escaping violence is even more challenging due to limited access to support services such as rape crisis centres and Safe Ireland, often exacerbated by inadequate public transport. The establishment of Cuan is a positive step but without proper funding, accessibility and awareness it will not be enough. Women cannot achieve equality if they do not feel safe in their homes, communities or workplaces. In Ireland, women continue to shoulder the majority of unpaid care work, limiting their career progression, financial independence and access to healthcare. Census 2022 found that women make up about 61% of unpaid carers and 90% of those caring full time at home. This extends beyond childcare to include elderly care, supporting disabled family members and emotional labour. Many women struggle to balance work and medical appointments with the lack of home help and public transport creating further barriers to accessing care. Achieving true gender equality requires valuing and redistributing care work by improving childcare, expanding paid family leave and encouraging men to take on caring roles.

I am acutely aware that I speak as a male politician but I am also a father and an uncle to many wonderful nieces. We need more women in politics. Encouraging political aspirations among young women should start in schools where leadership and confidence can be fostered early. Programmes that promote civic engagement are essential. Schools should encourage female participation in debates, student councils and mock parliaments, providing young women with opportunities to voice their opinions and develop critical thinking. Representation is key, bringing female political leaders into schools as mentors or speakers to inspire students to see politics as a viable path for them. Some women experience compounded inequalities including those with disabilities, migrant women and survivors of abuse. Our policies must reflect the diversity of women's experiences and ensure progress is measured not just in policy but in real change.

International Women's Day is not just about recognising inequality; it is about actively dismantling it.

Deputy Keira Keogh

International Women's Day is not just for flowers or chocolate. It is about equality, empowerment and celebration. As we know, this year the theme is to accelerate action and action is needed now more than ever. When we look at this globally, we are 300 years away from ending child marriage and 140 years away from achieving equal representation in leadership in the workplace. We cannot and must not forget about the girls in Afghanistan who are now three and half years out of school. When we look closer to home, we have to look at the most uncomfortable truth which is that out of 174 possible seats in this Dáil Chamber, only 44 are filled by women. I feel very privileged, and I also feel a huge responsibility, to be the fifth ever female TD for Mayo. Ireland is currently placed at 99 out of 183 countries listed so we have to move the dial forward. I was given some unwanted advice when I was considering running in the general election. It was suggested that I should reconsider as I would likely now never get married because female politicians are very unattractive to men. Thankfully, I did not take that advice and instead I listened to the advice of mentors like MEP Maria Walsh. I bonded with local councillors Donna Sheridan and Alma Gallagher and I was pushed and pushed by my fabulous campaign manager, Joan Jennings. I want to thank Fine Gael for its mentor programme for first-time candidates. We had the amazing Deirdre Campbell and Lavinia Duggan, who encouraged and supported us, along with fantastic speakers and mentors. That really contributed to me sitting here today and I know that Deputy Catherine Callaghan also went through that amazing programme. These are the kinds of steps that are needed to help women like myself to get here.

When I look at my own constituency, one of the key issues that came up during the local and general elections, as I am sure was the case for every TD here, was childcare. Families are struggling not just to afford childcare but to access it. We hear stories of women having to place their children on waiting lists for crèches before they have even had that really important 12-week scan. Much too often it is women who must reluctantly reduce their working hours or step back from their career or from the workforce entirely. It was not just women who were saying this to me on the doorsteps. It was their husbands as well, who often feel guilty that this is just the way it is.

Aside from this, many women continue to perform disproportionate duties, particularly when it comes to their family and childcare responsibilities. I hear time and time again of situations where there are two working parents but the woman is often carrying an extra mental load. Is the swim bag ready for school in the morning? Are we running low on nappies or formula? In my line of work as a behaviour specialist for 19 years, I must say I met some absolutely amazing fathers in my therapy room but it was predominantly females, predominantly mothers who were burnt out, exhausted and sacrificing so much of themselves, their careers and their social lives for their children. They did it gladly and will continue to do it but we have to give them more support.

I really welcome the efforts of this Government and the provision in the programme for Government capping childcare costs at €200 per month and moving to some State-funded childcare. That will really help. We need action. Without support, how can we expect equal opportunities when so many women are still expected to do most of the unpaid work? We also need to look at paternity leave. I submitted a motion at our Ard-Fheis last year increasing it from two to four weeks, which seems kind of crazy when you say it out loud. It should be equal and if there was equal leave then maybe there would not be the discrimination that women experience. Certainly, increasing paternity leave from two to four weeks would be a start. We should also try to increase the uptake, which I believe is still at only at 40%. Paternity leave will support gender equality by challenging stereotypes and traditional norms. It would also promote a more equitable distribution of parental responsibilities.

Now is the time to continue to make progress and accelerate action in our pursuit of sustainable development goal No. 5. We must achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. We have to start challenging stereotypes in everyday conversations. There are lots of stereotypes perpetuated in jokes and it is in everyday conversations that we have to call them out. It is great to see some males in the Chamber today but we must have males engaging in this conversation with us as well, as much as possible. We owe it to the women of yesterday, today and tomorrow to not just settle for progress. Progress is a great thing but we must not settle for it. We must continue to demand full equality for women in every sector and in every country across the world.

Deputy Cathy Bennett

Is onóir mhór dom a bheith anseo inniu le labhairt faoi Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan.

International Women's Day is an opportunity to recall and pay tribute to the women who came before us. The rights we have today are their legacy, won and taken by them, never freely given by others. It is not a cause for celebration, but rather a warning and a reminder. A warning that there are those who would see those rights taken away and a reminder that we owe it to our daughters to deliver those rights yet to be realised.

It is a shame that the least of what we need to do in Ireland is to correct the current Government's ambition. The Government target of achieving 280 domestic violence refuge spaces will still leave Ireland woefully short of the 500 places mandated by the Council of Europe convention on domestic violence. Women are often left in a situation where their only choice is either to be homeless or to return to their abuser. They either have to further up-end young children's lives by travelling further for refuge than they should have to or else return home to their abuser. In Cavan and Monaghan the commitment to open just one refuge portrays an intention to leave the women of one county entirely without one. In the worst case scenarios, when women are murdered, their murderers retain guardianship rights over their surviving children. We have an epidemic of violence against women and children in Ireland. That we have such a shortage of refuge spaces points to the failures of Governments of the past to take domestic abuse seriously, despite their platitudes. That such legislative gaps exist today points to the severe failure of successive governments to address this issue.

A register of domestic abusers is one vital step in protecting women and is crucial for reducing abusers' capacity to abuse. The relevant information exists already within the justice system today and comparable mechanisms exist in other places in the world. There should and can be no cause for delay. I welcome commitments from the Government on these matters but the test is whether the zero-tolerance promises or commitments made in this House today are meaningful. Will we see legislation and policy enacted on this priority or will women in this House rise again in one, two, three or four years time to speak on the very same issues as today?

As the Minister, Deputy Foley, said before she left the Chamber, every day brings a new possibility. As a mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, niece and friend to many great women, I look forward to these new possibilities.

Deputy Ruth Coppinger

It does seem like a bit of a pointless exercise, to be frank, to be making statements into the void but how and ever, we shall plough on. In regard to International Women's Day, far from the flowers and candy, in Italy there will be a general strike to coincide with International Women's Day, involving transport, education, healthcare and other workers. In Argentina, tens of thousands will again march against President Milei, who views abortion as aggravated homicide and has a very dangerous agenda. In Pakistan, it has been revitalised as a day against gender violence and honour killings. Across the US, while our Taoiseach goes to greet the predator-in-chief, millions will hopefully march against President Trump.

International Women's Day has its roots in socialist feminism, far from the boardrooms that the Fine Gael TD spoke about earlier. It was Clara Zetkin, a socialist and feminist, who inaugurated it in 1910.

It was taken up and became a rallying call for the rights of women against the system.

In Ireland on this international women's day, ROSA, the socialist feminist movement, has organised marches against gender-based violence. We are delighted we are supported in this by many survivors of gendered violence who are demanding action on the ten-point plan the Dáil agreed last week. These marches will be in Dublin at City Hall, Limerick, Galway in Eyre Square, all at 1 p.m., in Cork at 12 p.m., Belfast and, hopefully, in other places also. People will gather to drive home the message.

There is no way that capitalism can deliver equality for anybody, and it certainly cannot do so for women in the current period. The liberal era of reform and rights is completely gone. It has been declared well gone by the likes of Trump. Capitalism is now moving in much more violent and misogynistic direction. We have Trump, who has lauded sexual assault against women and who has intervened to free two sex traffickers who are leading the manosphere and spreading hate among young men. This is having a serious impact in some of the surveys we are seeing and the division of attitudes according to age and gender. It is very dangerous but it is all being allowed to happen. The liberal era is gone. We will have to fight for equality. We will have to demand our rights in this period. In my view, this can only be done by fighting capitalism as a system that is perpetuating genocide. We need less Barbie and more bolshie. This is my message.

Deputy Paul Murphy

If we want to tackle gender-based violence, then we have to call a halt to the tidal wave of misogyny coming at young men on social media every day. It is disgusting that the big social media corporations - the so-called big tech "broligarchy" of Zuckerberg and Musk - are profiting from pushing misogynistic, sexist content at teenage boys and men. Rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tait, now embraced with open arms by Donald Trump and effectively freed by Donald Trump, is only the most notorious of the influencers in a growing manosphere. This is not about censorship. It is about stopping billionaires such as Elon Musk from enriching themselves even further by pushing misogynistic content aimed at young men. All they care about is getting people to keep watching them for longer and longer in order to make money out of them.

Researchers at DCU set up blank male-identified social media accounts on TikTok and YouTube. Within 23 minutes, they were served up antifeminist and toxically masculine content regardless of whether they looked for it. After two to three hours of running these accounts, three quarters of the recommended content to these male accounts was toxic. Meta's own internal research has found that 64% of all extremist group joins are due to its recommendation tools. It found that Meta's own recommendation systems grow the problem. A leaked internal Meta document states that effective content moderation is practically impossible but that it can, at least, stop magnifying harmful content by giving it unnatural distribution. It can, but it does not do so because recommending misogynistic content makes it rich, so it does not care that it is fuelling gender-based violence and a growing gender divide around the world.

The conclusion reached by the researchers was to turn off recommender algorithms by default. Coimisiún na Meán also recommended this in its draft online safety code until the tech companies got to it, and the final version omits any reference to these recommender algorithms. Ireland is in a uniquely powerful position on this. Many of the biggest social media corporations are headquartered here. We have to make them turn off these toxic algorithms for good. This is one of the many reasons people should be on the streets against gender-based violence this International Women's Day, starting in Dublin at 1 p.m. at Dublin City Hall on Saturday.

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman

As a TD, I have had the opportunity to visit many local schools. One thing I love doing is meeting a politics and society class and having an opportunity to discuss with them the topics they are studying and what is happening in our country. One such visit has always stuck with me. We ended up discussing the work-life balance Act and the extra rights it provided through domestic violence leave and extra time for breastfeeding breaks, proposals for which we would expect broad support. I remember a young man asking me in a very sceptical tone what the point of all this was. He asked why we even needed equality laws for women. Thankfully, there was uproar in the class at the statement and a robust debate followed between the students. His question always stuck with me. What had happened to this young man? What had he been listening to that had shaped his world view in this particular way? He was not alone in that view in the room, and we know that he is not alone in society with regard to this view.

We see these same attitudes about women and minorities being echoed more loudly every day. We see them in the online comments sections, in group chats, and in the voice of those right-wing influencers who have been mentioned, such as Andrew Tait, Jordan Peterson, Theo Von and others, who market their ideas as a type of common sense but are actually promoting homophobia, misogyny, transphobia and bigotry. Here is the thing - that road does not lead anywhere good. It does not lead to happiness, success or being the big man. It leads to anger, isolation and resentment. As we know, this anger is eventually fostered by some political actors to get people to vote against their own interests. We see this already happening in democracies around the world.

My message on International Women's Day is directed towards men. It is that we need to watch out for each other. We need to call this stuff out when we see it in the group chat, in the dressing room and in school. We need to challenge the jokes that are not really jokes. We need to challenge the harmless banter that we might normally let go unchecked. Whether it is misogyny, homophobia, bigotry or transphobia, it is all rooted in the same world view. If we want a better world for everybody, we cannot expect women to be the only people fighting for it.

Deputy James Geoghegan

As a man in public life, I firmly believe that gender equality is not just a woman's issue. It is an issue for all of us. True progress requires male allyship, and history has shown that when men stand shoulder to shoulder with women in the fight for equality, transformative change happens. In the 19th century, John Stuart Mill stood in the British Parliament advocating for women's suffrage, challenging those who dismissed the political rights of half the population. In the United States, Frederick Douglass, a man who had fought against slavery, took to the stage at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and declared that women's rights were as fundamental as any human right. Closer to home, Garret FitzGerald, as Taoiseach, took on the challenge of workplace inequality, helping to dismantle the laws that once forced married women to leave their jobs. These men understood that their role was not to speak over women but to amplify their voices, challenge injustice and use their influence to break down barriers.

Today, we must do the same. We have made progress. Ireland is taking great strides in gender equality, from repealing the eighth amendment, when male allies played a role in standing up for women's rights, to the introduction of gender quotas in politics, the fight for equal pay and better representation in leadership. Just this year, we saw the launch of Cuan, Ireland's first dedicated domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency. This is a game-changer. It will expand refuge spaces, strengthen support services and ensure a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence.

It is self-evident that a large amount of work is still to be done. Women in Ireland face a gender pay gap. Women are still underrepresented in business and politics. One in four women in Ireland experiences domestic violence. This is not just a women's issue. It is a national issue and men must be part of the solution. It is vital for men today to reflect on the example set by those who have championed gender inequality before us but I am deeply concerned by some of the trends we are seeing emerging among young men here in Ireland and around the world. We are witnessing the rise of toxic ideologies about gender spreading rapidly through online spaces and shaping attitudes in troubling ways. Figures such as Andrew Tait peddle a world view that is not just misogynistic, but dangerously influential. The impact is real. Young men are absorbing these messages and their perceptions of women are being warped by them. I have no doubt that many in the House have themselves seen or heard about this disturbing shift. We cannot afford to be passive in the face of this. It is imperative that we equip young men with the critical thinking and moral compass to challenge these harmful narratives, and we must do so quickly.

Research shows that attitudes formed in our formative years are difficult to unlearn, so the time to act is now. The urgency is not abstract and it is not distant. It is happening in homes and communities across Ireland today. One in four women in Ireland experience domestic violence in their lifetime, a statistic that should shock us all into action. This is not just a societal failure; it is a crisis. We cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot accept this as inevitable. It is within our power to change it and we must do so, and when men take an active role in fighting gender-based violence, supporting women's leadership and ensuring equality in the workplace, we move from words to actions. As we mark International Women's Day 2025, let us commit to a future where gender equality is not a battle to be won, and where we build an Ireland that is fairer, safer and stronger for everyone.