What is it about the National Women's Council of Ireland's (NWCI) guide to the euro that aroused such antagonism in Oliver O'Connor, writing in these pages two weeks ago? His very hostile response to this little booklet says more about Mr O'Connor than it does about the guide. In his article, he attempts to portray himself as non-sexist and our booklet as sexist.

However, his patronising tone only goes to prove that chauvinism and misogyny are alive and well and living in the body of an investment fund specialist. There is also no doubt that he has an agenda which has nothing to do with the euro or the Guide to the Euro for Women. What could his agenda be?

I'll come to that later but first I'd like to put the record straight and provide the reader with some facts behind the publication of E-Day Are You Ready - A Guide to the Euro for Women. The Euro Changeover Board of Ireland (ECBI) provided funding to the NWCI to produce a euro information booklet aimed at women. Mr O'Connor insults our intelligence and that of the ECBI in suggesting that we in the NWCI believe that the euro is different for women and men.

What is different for women and men is the world in which we live. There is a wealth of statistical data from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Employment Equality Agency (EEA), university-led research, our own policy team and other sources, which clearly indicates existence of inequality for women in all aspects of social, political and business life.

According to figures from the EEA, in the business world only 4 per cent of chief executives and 18 per cent of middle managers are women. At the moment, economists, business personnel, bankers and others in the world of finance are the only people for whom the euro is immediately relevant. It is precisely this understanding which has prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) in all EU states to recognise the importance of finding ways to inform the general public about the new currency.

You don't have to be a research scientist (or even an investment fund specialist like Mr O'Connor) to cop on to the fact that fewer women than men have any pressing reason to become familiar with the euro. In recognition of the fact that in the vast majority of households women are the primary consumers of the family budget, the ECB regards women as a key target group throughout Europe. Go shopping Oliver and have a look around! We are a women's organisation which produced a booklet for our constituents. A fairly normal marketing practice. Now to Oliver's agenda. Could it be that with the publication of our euro booklet the NWCI has strayed into an area that he thinks belongs to the boys? Is it that the Women's Council is OK as long as it's talking about the oppression of women but is too threatening when dealing with upbeat money matters? Or could it be that Oliver is simply an old fashioned sexist who dislikes feminism and has found what he thinks is a fabulous opportunity to belittle the NWCI? Whatever his agenda - one thing is clear, Oliver should stick to investing funds and avoid any further heavy-handed attempts at comic writing.

Finally, a word about the euro. We learned a lot about the euro in the course of writing our guide, the content of which is based on research we conducted with our affiliate organisations. On a personal note, I learned that the euro must be the most mind-numbing and boring issue ever to have been handed to a publicity person. I can reliably say that, with the exception of business and finance journalists, the Irish media is unanimous in its disinterest in our forthcoming currency. Why?

Because the public is equally, if not more, bored by the euro. At the moment, to the person on the street, the euro represents nothing more than an incomprehensible collection of figures at the end of bank statements and supermarket receipts. We'll be in receipt of more ECBI funding during 1999 to complete the work started with our guide. After that we'll be taking a welcome break from the euro until 2001.

I bet the ECBI - never in its wildest dreams - thought that the innocent little euro could become the subject of such controversy, debate and gender agendas.

Ms Anne O'Donnell is communications manager of the National Women's Council of Ireland