Women in Ireland are increasingly subjected to online hate and misogyny amid a growing global backlash against women’s rights, representative groups have warned.
The National Women’s Council (NWC), in consultation with more than 200 member groups including trade unions, professional bodies and grassroots organisations, have cited the spread of far-right discourse and anti-migrant sentiment as particularly threatening to women’s rights in Ireland and globally.
The organisation launched its new strategic plan for 2025-2029, Time to Act for Women’s Rights and Equality, on Thursday.
It said the use of social media to spread online hate and misogyny had become an issue in need of “a response at the highest level”.
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It also cited the use of artificial intelligence as posing a risk to “women’s online safety, to job security, and to the environment”.
NWC president Orla O’Connor expressed concern about “a hardening of discourses in relation to migrants and those seeking asylum and refugees”, adding that “there is a shift in relation to how we treat people coming to Ireland seeking international protection and a better future”.
She also expressed concern about those experiencing war abroad.
“Women and children are bearing the brunt of war and conflict. In Gaza, we are witnessing a genocide taking place before our eyes.”
The NWC noted that both the gender pay gap and the pension gap have remained high in Ireland, at 10 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. It cited the dominance of women in care professions and carrying out unpaid care responsibilities as contributing to these figures.
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Ms O’Connor acknowledged there had been “important advances” in women’s rights in Ireland over recent years, including with the introduction of the free contraception and hormone replacement therapy scheme.
However, in other areas, she said “the pace of change remains painfully slow”.
“Women make up more than half of the population but only represent 25 per cent of our TDs and 28 per cent of local councillors.”
The strategic plan aims to “promote human rights and equality, through mobilising, influencing and building solidarity”.
The organisation has called on Government to prioritise decisive actions that will make a difference to women’s lives such as the introduction of gender quotas for local election candidates, combating online misogyny and providing accessible housing and accommodation to those in need.
