Referendum views: Proposed changes shows Ireland ‘as being more open and 21st century’

“This change isn’t a radical thing, but it shows Ireland as being more open and 21st century.”

This is the view of some young people, who will be voting for the first time this year, on the proposals to change constitutional references to the role of women.

In referendums to take place on March 8th, the Government proposes expanding the definition of family in the Constitution to recognise “durable relationships”, such as cohabiting couples and their children, and replacing the language around “women in the home” with language recognising care within families.

The Irish Times spoke to a group of people aged 18 who are studying Law in Trinity College Dublin. Most agreed that the concept of family was “constantly evolving” and that it was important to consider changes.

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For Mairead Quinlan, the proposals were “symbolic” of a changed society.

“If you can change how a few people feel about a woman’s role in the home and society, or a man’s role as a carer, that can make a big difference. To me this is about what it fundamentally means to look after a family and who does that, so it’s more of a moral values type of thing as opposed to a direct action,” she said.

The meaning of family was “constantly evolving”, Quinlan said, and “what a family might’ve meant to our grandparents is completely different to what it means to us now and what it involves in modern day life”.

“So I think it’s important that the wording in this referendum is a more open definition and more inclusive of different identities. It has to be something open enough that it can evolve and be read as changing with the times as well,” she said.

Quinlan pointed out that the referendum “wasn’t talked about much compared to other referendums”, which seemed evident as The Irish Times approached about 20 people on Trinity’s campus on Tuesday, most of whom said they had not yet researched the referendum, did not know how or whether they would vote, or hadn’t heard about it.

[ Women in the home referendum: what exactly does the Government want to change, and why? ]

“People don’t seem to be as interested in this one. Women’s rights have improved astronomically in recent years, so maybe this referendum is seen as not as pressing and therefore it isn’t getting the attention it deserves,” Sophie Shaw said.

However, Shaw viewed the changes as “important” and “definitely a step in the right direction to reflect in the Constitution that men and women are equal”.

“But I would be interested to see the practical outcomes and whether it actually makes any changes to people’s lives,” she said.

“A lot of people just think we’re only changing wording and that makes them feel this is irrelevant and won’t change anything, and that we’re opening polling stations just to change words,” Maria Mallen said.

“But it will have an impact, and even the symbolism is important because it shows what Ireland was before and what it will be going forward. Women are no longer just relegated to the home or only allowed to work specific jobs,” she said.

Mallen felt the wording of the proposed changes was “open to interpretation”, which she viewed as a positive thing.

“This change isn’t a radical thing, but it shows Ireland as being more open and 21st century, and having the wording more open-ended would suit what we’re trying to do”.

[ It’s not fanciful or contrived to ask questions about ‘throuples’ in referendum debate ]

Lily Scanlon agreed, calling the changes “very interesting” and “a long-awaited proposal”.

“It’s very important that this is happening,” she said.

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