Senator Pauline O’Reilly elected vice-chair of Select Committee on Gender Equality
Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly has been elected as vice-chair of the Select Committee on Gender Equality. The Select Committee has been established to examine the recommendations of the Citizen’s Assembly on Gender Equality, which includes childcare, political representation, gender pay gap and violence against women.
Senator Pauline O’Reilly said;
“The Citizen’s Assembly have set out a vision of how we can achieve gender equality, and I’m honoured to have been elected as vice-chair of the Select Committee to examine those recommendations. To work towards an equal Ireland for every woman, we must reassess the social norms, attitudes and barriers across society around childcare, pay, gender-based violence, political representation and more. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Committee to make the changes needed to make this vision a reality.”
Recommendations made by the Citizen’s Assembly include moving to a publicly funded, accessible and regulated model of childcare over the next decade; setting targets in legislation to eliminate the hourly gender pay gap by 2035; cover gender power dynamics, consent and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence within the school curriculum; and to develop guidelines and specialist training for judges and lawyers regarding the treatment of victims/survivors.
Green Party Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman TD said;
“The Citizens’ Assembly delivered a rich and nuanced portrait of the state of gender equality in Ireland and expressed a high level of ambition for change. Policy to promote gender equality in Ireland is a key component of the work of my Department and I’m looking forward to engaging with the Committee to look at these recommendations and make the changes needed to create an equal Ireland for every woman.”
The Committee was established in December 2021 to consider the recommendations contained in the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality. The Committee shall report to both the Dáil and Seanad within nine months of its first public meeting which is due to be scheduled shortly.
