International Women's Day: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-04
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I live among women who are in poverty and who feel disenfranchised and disadvantaged. I hear their stories every day, and I am proud to represent them here today. The theme for International Women's Day this year is "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls." There is another campaign with the theme "Give to Gain", which is really important in terms of what we can all do in order to bring other women along with us, empower them and give them a better life. Because it is International Women's Day, we obviously have to think about women in Ireland in the context of how far we have come, how far we need to go and those we need to help. In an international context, we absolutely have to think about the women in Gaza, the women in Iran, the women who have had to leave Iran and all the women who have been executed in Iran. We have to think about the women in Sudan and in many other countries that are at war where women and girls have been the first to be treated badly, including by being executed and, in many instances, raped. We hear about this all the time. We have to put those women at the front and centre of everything.
It is almost 100 years since my party, Fianna Fáil, was formed. Constance Markievicz hosted the very first party meeting in La Scala Theatre. She was a real leader in the struggle for gender equality. She was the first female Member of the Dáil as well being the first woman elected to Westminster. She became Europe's first female Cabinet Minister when she assumed the role of Minister for Labour. We all took great pride when last night the Taoiseach unveiled a portrait of Constance Markievicz in our party rooms that is hung on the wall alongside those of our male party leaders. It was a good day for the women in the party, but we have to do more to make Ireland an equal society and a country that Constance Markievicz would be proud of.
The gender pay gap has improved significantly. When comparisons are made across the world, it becomes apparent that women still hold only 64% of the legal rights men do. In that context, we have to push other governments, organisations and individuals to confront these gaps and take meaningful steps towards equality. Much needs to be done here, particularly in the area of domestic violence, which has been mentioned already, in terms of building more refuges and offering more supports.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-04