Gender Equality Politics

Abstract

This chapter examines the gender contract between women, society, and the state to identify continuities and changes in gender equality in Irish society since the 1970s. It examines attitudes to women in the home and the controversial public policy debates on abortion to illustrate shifts and stasis in this relationship. The chapter explores the slow evolution of gender equality as an institutional policy concern, supported by successive government commissions and given impetus by the feminist movement. These initiatives culminated in national gender equality plans linked to international commitments, along with targeted plans for specific areas such as violence against women, and women’s participation in political and public life. The chapter concludes that while strides towards gender equality have been made in social, economic, and political life over fifty years, there remain deep-seated attitudes resistant to women’s autonomy and equal citizenship. The gender contract continues to be a work in progress.