The referendum on Article 41.2 will be conducted in November. Any constitutional amendments in Ireland must be approved by a popular referendum.
Ireland will vote in November to remove “outdated” allusions to women’s roles in the home from its constitution.
The Irish government announced on Wednesday that it will hold a referendum on Article 41.2, which states that Ireland recognizes that “by her life within the home, woman gives to the state a support without which the common good cannot be achieved” and that “mothers shall not be compelled by economic necessity to engage in labor to the neglect of their domestic responsibilities.”
Any amendment to Ireland’s 86-year-old constitution must be ratified by a majority vote. Since the constitution was drafted in 1937, the country has held 38 referendums.
In recent years, referendums to allow same-sex marriage and liberalize restrictive abortion laws were passed by large majorities.
A citizen’s assembly, which debates constitutional amendments before a referendum. Offered gender-neutral wording to replace references to women’s roles in the home.
Speaking as part of International Women’s Day celebrations, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stated, “I am pleased to announce that the government plans to conduct a referendum to amend our constitution to enshrine gender equality and to remove the obsolete reference to ‘women in the home.'”
“For far too long, women and girls have borne a disproportionate share of caregiving duties. Faced discrimination at home and in the workplace, been objectified, and lived in fear of domestic and gender-based violence,” he said.
