As government formation talks gather pace, many women will be marking Nollaig na mBan, also known as Women’s or Little Christmas, today. It is the day women traditionally take a rest, get together and celebrate their Christmas while men do the housework.
It is a well-earned break. Because never is the gendered division of labour more apparent than at Christmas. From the physical and emotional labour of managing a household to the extra care work involved at Christmas, it is far from a time of rest for most women.
But unrecognised care work is not just for Christmas. According to research carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), from one end of the year to another, women carry out twice as much unpaid care work and housework as men.
And so the message today from many women to those negotiating the next government and its programme is clear: we need radical change over the next five years.
The deal breaker for the advancement of women’s equality in the next political term is public childcare. Currently, the lack of affordable, accessible, quality childcare means women are often forced into part-time, more precarious work. Some women feel they have no choice but to leave the workforce altogether. This results in a key driver of the gender pay gap: the motherhood penalty. Women’s earnings plummet after the birth of a child, while men’s remain static or even improve. Research from Maynooth University in 2023 found a significant 27 per cent decline in women’s earnings after childbirth.
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Delivering a public system of early childhood education and care would tackle this penalty and provide enormous benefit to children, women, families and early years educators. It would mean a guaranteed childcare place for every child, irrespective of their background, their needs or where they live. Combined with well-paid family leave, it would offer real choices to women and all parents to participate fully in every aspect of their lives. And it would mean better pay and working conditions for the mostly female early years educators, commensurate with their education and experience.
Women are also calling for radical change when it comes to tackling the epidemic of violence against women. Fifty two per cent of women in Ireland have reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2023 An Garda Síochána received domestic violence calls every 10 minutes.
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The commitment to a zero tolerance strategy in 2022 and the creation of Cuan, the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency, represents important progress to tackle violence against women. The new government must now drive forward to a society where women can live free from violence, abuse and harassment.
Cuan must be fully resourced to carry out its mandate and implement the strategy. Frontline services need secure multiannual funding so they can continue to provide their vital services. The courts and judiciary must be reformed to provide a more victim-centred approach which does not retraumatise women.
Finally, we must understand and tackle the serious impact of the housing crisis on women. The homelessness rate among women in Ireland is one of the highest in the EU. Women fleeing domestic abuse and violence and those caught up in sex-for-rent exploitation must be able to access secure housing and accommodation.
This Nollaig na mBan, women are demanding radical change in the area of women’s health. Marginalised women in particular face significant barriers in accessing the healthcare they need. The introduction of the free contraception scheme, free IVF and free HRT were important, positive milestones over the last few years. This progress must continue with a renewed focus on the delivery of a universal healthcare system and increased, dedicated investment in mental health services that meet women’s unique needs.
One demand that should be completely uncontroversial is the delivery of the long-awaited mother and baby unit. This unit is urgently needed to allow mothers experiencing very severe and complex perinatal mental health difficulties to receive in-patient care and support without being separated from their babies.
And with more than 1,000 women having to travel from Ireland to Britain for an abortion since 2018, we want to see a clear commitment from government to implement the recommendations of the independent review of abortion care by Marie O’Shea. This includes an end to the mandatory three-day wait and the full decriminalisation of abortion care in Ireland.
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These are some of the calls from women to the negotiators of the next programme for government and all newly elected TDs, including a record number of 44 women elected. With significant resources available to tackle some major, structural issues for women, the time to act is now. Women deserve more than a rest for Nollaig na mBan; women need equality.
Orla O’Connor is the director of the National Women’s Council
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