The Taoiseach has said he does not believe a referendum recognising putting same-sex marriages on the same footing as other unions would be passed by the Irish public.
Speaking in Delhi, during a trade mission to India, Mr Ahern said he had not been asked by groups representing gay people to put issues such as same-sex marriage or adoption issues on the political agenda.
The All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution will advise the Government in a report next week against changing the definition of the family as being based on marriage due to fears it could lead to a divisive referendum on gay marriage.
Mr Ahern said today the concerns of the groups he has held discussions with are primarily concerned with financial issues.
"They have continually stated to me that the kind of issues they want addressed primarily are ones to do with inheritance, ones to do with pensions, ones to do with insurance rights," he said.
"I can never be sure what would happen in a referendum. I've gone in to win referendums on two occasions and lost them. I've gone in on about six occasions and won them. So I would rather do the things that I think that I can usefully do."
Mr Ahern said there were "things we can usefully look at", such as issues of inheritance and tax and transferability of properties.
Asked if he had fears that Irish voters would not pass a referendum putting same-sex relationships on the same footing as other relationships, Mr Ahern said: "There's been no opinion polls on it. I don't think they would. And I think at this stage that could be a divisive issue, particularly where the proponents that come to me have not asked for that. So what I would rather do is deal with the issues that they have asked for."
He said he had not seen the final report of the Oireachtas committee, which is due to be published next Tuesday.
"I have been asked by the groups to follow a certain path and that's the path I'd like to follow first of all. That doesn't rule out what will happen in the future.
Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe, who is on the committee, said its discussions regarding family rights were "cautious and conservative". He called for the revision of Article 41.3.1 in the Constitution, which states that the family is founded on the institution of marriage.
"The debate was a cautious one and didn't engage sufficiently with the reality of family life in Ireland today. I would like to have seen more discussion of the difficulties facing lone parents, cohabiting couples and those in same-sex relationships," he said.
"We all felt that children's rights required constitutional recognition, but there were differences of opinion regarding new types of family unit outside of marriage that are now increasingly common.
"One third of births in the State are outside of marriage. Times have changed and the Constitution should reflect this. I believe that all persons, irrespective of their marital status, should have a right to family life.
"The wording of Article 41.3.1 which states that the family is founded on the institution of marriage should be revised. Several of us on the Committee felt that all persons, irrespective of their marital status, should have a right to family life," he said.