We will now have statements to mark International Women's Day. I call on the Minister, Deputy Foley, to make her opening remarks.

I begin by welcoming everyone here today on what is an extremely significant day for me in my role as Minister with responsibility for gender equality, for my colleagues across the Government, and for everybody here in the Seanad also.

This time last year, it was with great pride that I addressed the Chamber to mark International Women's Day as the newly appointed Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. Today, I welcome the opportunity to address the House again on the subject of gender equality, and to update Senators on our progress in this area over the past year.

Recently, we welcomed a significant improvement in Ireland's rankings within the EU on gender equality, according to the official EU gender equality index. We now rank sixth in the EU, moving up from our previous position of ninth place in 2024. This reflects progress on women's and girls' equality across a number of areas, including health, education and business.

There have also been incredible achievements across the board insofar as we have seen Irish women excel in so many different disciplines and fields, including - to name just a few - sport, science, business, media and the arts. I say this with the incredible Jessie Buckley, a fellow Kerry woman, in mind, as we all wish her the very best of luck at the Oscars in the coming weeks.

Equality between women and men has been a core principle of public policy and law in this country for a long time. Successive Governments have worked to remove barriers to women's full participation and to address the inequalities we still face. Ireland today is a very different place for women and girls. In so many ways it is a better, fairer place than it was in our mothers' and certainly in our grandmothers' time. That is something we should both acknowledge and celebrate.

I am particularly proud to have launched our new National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030 last November. This strategy has a single, simple, but crucial vision: an Ireland where all women and girls can thrive in a gender-equal society. l am so very grateful to the inspirational guest speakers we had at the launch on that day: disability rights activist, Joanne O'Riordan; Irish rugby international, Lynne Cantwell; Sheenagh Rowland and Hope Omoregie from the National Youth Assembly; and from my own home town of Tralee, Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy, the winners of last year's BT Young Scientist competition. They are a really impressive group of young women. However, we know there is much more we need to do across all measures of gender equality, and we should not shy away from that. The strategy sets out a broad range of objectives aimed at reducing inequalities between women and men. This whole-of-government plan aims to level the playing field for women and girls of all ages and backgrounds by eliminating all forms of discrimination against them and building on the progress made under its predecessor strategy.

Our strategy acknowledges that the challenges women and girls face are diverse and commits to supporting women in overcoming these and achieving their full potential, placing them at the heart of Government action. The Department worked with a variety of stakeholders, including the National Youth Assembly and the National Women's Council, to ensure that the strategy reflects the priorities of women and girls at all stages of life in a modern and ever-changing Irish society.

The strategy will be implemented by two action plans. The first action plan will cover the period 2026 to 2028. It is nearing completion and I hope to present it to Government shortly. Work on this action plan is being overseen by an interdepartmental committee to ensure a holistic, whole-of-government approach. Our work to implement the strategy will have a particular focus on supporting women and girls over their entire life. That is one reason why a youth perspective was prioritised in the development of the strategy. A special national youth assembly on gender equality was convened while the strategy was in development. This assembly was specifically designed to provide young people with an opportunity to discuss how gender inequality affects their lives, explore solutions, and make recommendations that were reflected in the final strategy.

We recognise that women and girls are diverse, and while this diversity brings strength, it also brings a host of different needs that require different policy responses. Disabled women in particular must be supported to ensure that they are included in employment opportunities and decision-making, and that they can access opportunities just like everyone else.

There are also strong links between this new strategy and our other equality strategies, including the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy 2024-2028, launched in July 2024, and the national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy, launched in June 2025.

The Government has also significantly increased family leave entitlements, recognising the importance of supporting parents to reconcile care for their children with their participation in employment. First 5, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019-2028, committed to extend entitlements to paid leave incrementally over the course of the strategy so that by 2028 parents in Ireland would have access to a range of family leaves for the first year of their child's life.

Since then, parent’s leave and benefit for fathers and mothers was increased from seven to nine weeks in August 2024. The combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent’s leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks’ paid leave for a two-parent family. Mothers also have an entitlement to 16 weeks of additional maternity leave, which is unpaid.

The programme for Government commits to a number of actions that support women and their families, including the examination of the extension of parent’s leave. We are also working on an ongoing basis to address specific needs that arise for parents. Since November 2024, for instance, female employees can postpone their maternity leave if they need ongoing treatment for a serious health condition. This is an example of the kind of practical measure that can make a significant difference to women.

The Department has also led efforts and implemented a range of measures to support women in the workforce. It is widely known that business does better when there is diversity among senior decision-makers. Ireland has fully transposed the EU directive on gender balance on corporate boards to ensure that listed companies achieve a more gender-balanced spread in their board members. Ireland has already made significant progress in these areas. According to the 2025 annual report of Balance for Better Business, women now represent 42% of board members in Irish stock exchange companies.

We have also made great strides in our efforts to narrow the gender pay gap, which is a crucial measure of inequality in this domain. Measuring this gap and seeing who is most affected by it will help show us what we must do to close it. Gender pay gap reporting now applies to all employers with over 50 staff. It is mandatory for these employers to publish their gender pay gap reports on their own websites, but not all of them are doing this. Many employers do not realise the difference until it is staring back at them in the form of a gender pay gap percentage. I am committed to bringing this information into the open to inform the public, employers and, indeed, Government policy. I am going to bring forward legislation to make it mandatory for relevant employers to upload their reports to a centralised reporting database, that is, the gender pay gap portal. This portal will encourage more employers to meet their legal obligation and, more importantly, drive meaningful action to eliminate the gender pay gap. This is just one important example of the action we have taken to support women and girls at every stage of their lives.

Our commitment to gender equality in the workplace does not stop there. This year, the Department will have a focus on transposing the pay transparency directive. Under this directive, EU companies will be required to share information about how much they pay women and men for work of equal value and to take corrective action if their gender pay gap exceeds 5%. It also provides for compensation for victims of pay discrimination and penalties including fines for non-compliance. This directive is crucial to empower workers, and especially women, to enforce their right to equal pay through a set of binding measures on pay transparency. It will strengthen the transparency of pay systems, improve public understanding of the relevant legal concepts and enhance enforcement of the rights and obligations relating to equal pay. The Government is fully committed to full implementation of the pay transparency directive. It is vital work that must be progressed that will directly benefit women and girls and advance gender equality both in the workplace and in wider society.

I am also pleased to inform Senators that Ireland’s first national equality data strategy was recently approved by Government and will be published shortly. The national equality data strategy 2026-31 has been developed by the Central Statistics Office and the Department in partnership with a dedicated working group drawn from across Government and civil society. The strategy requires all Government Departments to make a commitment to collect, use or disseminate equality data and to develop the organisational capacity to fulfil this commitment. It will allow us to use equality data to develop sound and inclusive evidence-informed policies to improve outcomes for all. Our efforts will align with the launch of the European Commission’s gender equality strategy 2026-30, which is due to be published today, 4 March.

As Ireland prepares to host the EU Presidency this year, I am committed to ensuring that gender equality and equality itself are at the forefront of our agenda. Our Government’s commitment to adopting a systematic approach to achieve gender equality is evidenced by the progress I discussed here earlier. It is equally important to recognise that despite these positive achievements, there is much work still to be done. I am working to address the barriers preventing women’s full participation in society, and the first of the two upcoming action plans under the new national strategy for women and girls, overseen by a dedicated interdepartmental committee, will absolutely drive this work forward.

Women’s equality is a goal we can all share and all work for together. In the words of Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest ever Nobel laureate and a tireless champion for the rights of girls and women in education, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” I look forward to working with all of Senators here in this regard. Half of us being held back is not acceptable. We need to work together so that we can all succeed together.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I would like to start by wishing everybody a happy International Women's Day, both men and women, because working together we make the world go around. I wish everybody a happy International Women's Day. This week, ahead of International Women's Day, we come together to celebrate the strength, resilience and extraordinary leadership of women and girls across Ireland and around the world. It is a moment to honour the achievements of women past and present, acknowledge the progress made and reflect on the work that still lies ahead.

This year carries a special meaning for us in Fianna Fáil because 2026 marks the centenary of our party's founding, a moment that brings us right back to the footsteps of a woman whose courage still lights our path. That woman is Countess Markievicz. A century ago, in 1926, Countess Markievicz chaired the very first Fianna Fáil meeting at La Scala Theatre on O'Connell Street. She was already a giant of equality. She was the first female Member of the Dáil, the first woman elected to Westminster and Europe's first female Cabinet Minister, as Minister for Labour in 1919. She broke the glass ceiling before it was even a term. She fought battles no one had asked her to fight, and she imagined an Ireland that values fairness, dignity and opportunity for all.

As we mark 100 years of my party, Fianna Fáil, our mission is to continue building the Ireland she envisaged; an Ireland of which she would be proud. Fianna Fáil is committed to ensuring women have a meaningful voice at every level of public life. In recent years, we have made real progress. We ran 34 female candidates in the 2024 general election, which is more than any other party has ever run. However, progress cannot make us complacent. Alongside this, Councillor Rachel Hartigan from County Clare, who was elected at the age of 22 in the latest local elections, is the youngest female councillor in the country. We, as a party, are very proud of her, and I would like to pay tribute to her today.

Women still face disproportionate barriers, from online abuse to unequal representation in corporate and political life. The task force on safe participation in political life has warned that abuse is prevalent, targeted and deeply damaging, particularly for women and minority groups. This cannot be accepted as part of the job. It is a threat to democracy itself. We stand firmly behind the recommendations to strengthen security, monitor online abuse, protect the privacy of candidates and ensure that every party has clear codes of conduct and support for members who encounter harassment. Women should never have to choose between safety and public service. Equality is not simply a principle. It must be visible in every payslip.

Ireland's gender pay gap in 2024 was 8.3%, which is lower than the EU average but still unacceptable. Women continue to be over-represented in lower-paid sectors, carry more unpaid work and face barriers to senior roles. Transparency, investment and accountability are essential. That is why all Government Departments, State bodies and now private sector employers with over 50 staff must publish gender pay gap reports. These reports shine a light on inequalities that were once invisible, and make it possible to fix them. We know the disparities are often driven by who gets to lead. Women make up more than half of the workforce in most Departments yet remain far too absent from the top tier. That gap must close, not in another generation but now.

One of the greatest steps forward in recent years has been in women's health. Government has invested more than €180 million since 2020 to radically reform services.

We have opened postnatal hubs, expanded menopause clinics, rolled out free contraception for women between 17 and 35 and are working towards eliminating cervical cancer by 2040. Perhaps the most important change, however, has come with the national endometriosis framework, built on the principle of presumed diagnosis. For the first time, Ireland recognises what women have always known, that women are the most reliable narrators of their own symptoms and pain.

Today, specialist centres in Tallaght, Cork, Limerick, the Rotunda and the Coombe, and soon Galway and the National Maternity Hospital, are giving women the care for which they have waited for far too long to receive. When women are listened to, believed and supported, their health outcomes transform, and so does their quality of life.

We must recognise the challenges faced by women whose experiences of addiction are intertwined with trauma, poverty, domestic violence and homelessness. Women are often the hidden homeless, and traditional treatment centres do not always meet their needs, especially when children are involved. Services such as those provided by Ashleigh House and the new trauma-informed centre at Merchant's Quay in Dublin show what is possible when we design supports for women with dignity, stability, childcare and wraparound care at their centre.

We are increasing investment in drug treatment services, with an additional €2 million in 2025 and €11 million announced in budget 2026, ensuring women receive treatment that understands their lived realities.

A gender-neutral approach simply does not work. Women deserve better and we are building better. We know that, despite progress, some men still hold beliefs that are rooted in control, beliefs that manifest as coercion, intimidation and violence. These views have no place in Ireland, and Fianna Fáil will never shy away from confronting them.

Under the zero tolerance strategy, funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV, services has reached almost €80 million. We are delivering new refuge spaces, expanding safe accommodation and strengthening our laws, including through removing guardianship rights from those convicted of killing their partners, establishing a domestic violence register under Jennie's Law, restricting the disclosure of counselling records in trials and ensuring schools are informed when a child has been exposed to domestic violence. Safety is not a privilege; it is a right.

In sport, we are closing the gender participation gap like never before. Women's participation now stands at 47% and the difference between men and women is less than three percentage points. Parity in funding for Gaelic players has also been achieved and we are supporting coaching, leadership and visibility so young girls can see themselves in every arena. If you can see it, you can be it.

In agriculture, 2026 marks the international year of the woman farmer. Ireland is leading the way, being one of only two EU states to explicitly support women farmers through the CAP, with initiatives from the women farmer capital investment scheme to accelerating the creation of rural nascent start-ups, ACORNS, programme. Women have always been central to rural Ireland. Today they are central to its future.

As we mark our centenary, Fianna Fáil renews its commitment to empowering women and girls in every community, profession and generation. We will publish an updated national strategy for women and girls, advance gender budgeting, strengthen leadership pathways and support women in finance, STEM, business, the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána. We will build an Ireland that protects, includes and uplifts, an Ireland where equality is not something we aim for but something we live.

International Women's Day is not only a celebration; it is also a reminder – a reminder of how far we have come and how far we have to go. One hundred years after Constance Markievicz led our first meeting, her voice still echoes. The fight for freedom is the fight for equality. Today, we honour her legacy not only with words but also with action. Let us continue the work and progress and let us continue building an Ireland where every woman and girl can thrive, not despite the system but because of it.

I welcome to the Gallery the guests of Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, and the pupils of Diffreen National School. As is customary, we encourage the teachers to give the pupils no homework for the rest of the week.

I thank the Leader for arranging a debate on International Women's Day, even though the day itself will be next week. Due to the St. Patrick's Festival, we are considering it today.

My mind goes back two years to 8 March 2024. That was the occasion chosen specially for two referendums to amend the Constitution. One of them was to introduce the concept of "durable relationship", in addition to marriage, as the basis for the family, and the other was to introduce a new provision in the Constitution in relation to care. Those two referendums were defeated decisively by the Irish people.

I have a few comments to make on the referendums in retrospect. We may have forgotten what happened in the course of the referendum campaigns. First, the Referendum Commission failed abysmally to explain what the referendum changes would mean. The chair of the commission, when asked what the term "durable relationship" meant, said she could not advance any real definition but said you would know a durable relationship if you got a wedding invitation or a Christmas card addressed to you jointly. The Minister in charge told the Irish people solemnly that the definition of "durable relationship" would be left to the courts and that he himself would offer no definition as to what it meant. However, he gave the assurance that the term was not the same as the term "durable relationship" when used in European law.

When those who could see there were clear implications for family law, succession law, taxation law, immigration law and pensions law, among others, sought from the Irish people's Government some indication of the analysis done by the various Departments of State as to what the implications of the constitutional changes in relation to the nature of the family would mean, by means of freedom of information requests, the Departments in question refused to answer. The excuse given was that the people had yet to make up their mind on the issue. Can you imagine not being able to find out the consequences until you make up your mind?

One Minister of the then Government after another came before cameras and microphones and declared solemnly that they had legal advice that there would be no significant changes arising from the "durable relationship" clause. It transpired that all the information and misinformation was false. It transpired after the event that various Departments had pointed out to the Department of Finance and various other Departments of State, including the Department of Justice, that there would be very significant implications to introducing the notion of "durable relationship" at the same status as marriage. It was pointed out that there would be very significant implications in relation to disputes as to who was entitled to succeed in succession cases, who was entitled to come here on a family reunion basis under immigration law, who was to be regarded as the partner under pension law, and which family arrangements would attract taxation protections and allowances.

Right across the board, the Irish people were systematically deceived by the then Government. There is no other description of what happened. The relevant Minister had been warned that there were very serious implications for our society if the referendum was carried. Worst of all was that the Referendum Commission, not content with talking nonsense about Christmas cards and wedding invitations, actually told the Irish people the article in the Constitution about women not being obliged to work outside the home due to economic necessity had never been considered by the courts to any significant degree.

That was blatantly untrue. There was case law that showed that the Supreme Court had invoked it to protect women whose marriages were breaking up from being forced out to work by husbands who said they were well capable of working instead of looking after the family.

The litany of untruths that was perpetrated on the Irish people at that stage, combined with the extraordinarily dishonest arrogance of saying people's right to know what Departments were warning the Government about would be postponed until after the referendum itself was completed, was perpetrated by a Government that had the arrogance to say it was important to make these changes on International Women's Day. I am no expert on it but I believe that the great majority of women came out against it because they could see through it and saw it was a nonsense.

The care referendum was put forward as somehow conferring some status on people who were caring for disabled people within the family. It was deliberately concealed from the Irish people that the wording of that referendum had been deliberately changed from earlier drafts in order to make it absolutely clear that no person could rely on the proposed new article for relief in the courts so that those who were caring would not have justiciable rights under that particular article.

The then Taoiseach wrote an article in the Irish Independent saying that he accepted the wisdom of the people. That was Leo Varadkar. He then left Ireland for St. Patrick's Day in New York. Within a week, he was gone. He gave a press conference in Government Buildings. However, nobody has ever apologised to the Irish people for the wrongs that were done to them. I will finish on this point. Nobody ever said the people were deceived, they should have had the information, the Electoral Commission was wrong and Ministers who said that this would make no difference were all wrong. I am standing up here today, two years after International Women's Day was chosen cynically as the date on which these two referendums were to be enacted by the people, to say that the mere fact that the then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, resigned and the mere fact there was a change in some of the Ministries does not justify the wrong that was done to the Irish people and the deliberate effort that was made to pervert democracy by misinforming and starving the people of information to which they were entitled.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, for coming to discuss statements on International Women's Day. I know it is next Sunday and we are celebrating it in advance. Last week, I was honoured to host females from Fine Gael. There were female councillors and people from the women's network. It was certainly a wonderful day of celebration. It was about women sharing their resources, their ideas and that whole sense of collaboration.

On 8 March, it will mark 115 years of celebrating International Women's Day. We have seen significant changes and advancements for women since 1911. As referred to by my colleague, Senator Murphy O'Mahony, Countess Markievicz was first elected to the House of Commons in 1918 and was later elected the first female TD in 1919. International Women's Day is not only a day to celebrate our achievements, but to advocate for greater gender equality. While we can acknowledge our great achievements, we can also recognise that, in many areas, we are still closing the gaps to ensure women have more equal opportunities and experience.

When I think of some of the female former Members who were trail-blazers, I think of people like Monica Barnes, Mary O'Rourke, Avril Doyle, Gemma Hussey and Nuala Fennell. They were all way before their time in terms of standing up for women's rights. They spoke about things like the right to work and equal pay for equal work. When we hosted our event last week, we honoured Frances Fitzgerald for her work and achievements, not only starting off as a social worker, but in the different ministerial roles she held, including serving as a Cabinet Minister for quite a while. In Fine Gael, we are very proud to say that nearly half of our Ministers who serve at the Cabinet table are female. That is a wonderful achievement to have three female Ministers out of the seven serving in those roles.

This year theme is "give to gain". Give to gain is a fitting concept for how we can all collectively give back to allow for the best in society to develop. One individual comes to mind. We have a councillor in County Meath, Councillor Yemi Adenuga. When she was elected back in 2019, she was the first black female councillor. She was also the first migrant councillor to be elected in County Meath. She has set up a mentoring programme for women and young people. That is a typical example of how you give back to gain.

All of us in this Chamber are politically interested and we often recognise the achievements of political female trail-blazers, as I referred to already, but there are many avenues in life where women break boundaries every day. One that comes to mind is a neighbour of mine, Joy Neville. She was one of the first female rugby referees. There are many females who have followed along that path since, but also females participating in sport. There are female entrepreneurs and female start-up business owners, and many of them have achieved much. They are a great example for our women and girls. I know the Minister referred to the women and girls strategy in her speech.

The year 2026 has been referred to by my learned colleague as the year of the female farmer. In Limerick, the chairperson of our local IFA is a young female farmer in her 30s. It is great to see females out there and working in jobs that were traditionally held by men. Karen Ronan is a sister of Senator Collins and the national chairperson of Network Ireland, and on Saturday, it is holding a conference in Limerick. It will host its flagship International Women's Day event in the Strand Hotel, the national gathering of female entrepreneurs and professionals. I wish the event the very best because I know that those females who are involved in organisations like Network Ireland have brought other females into it. They have supported, mentored and worked together. That whole collaboration piece and support shows that collegiality. It does not just have to be women supporting women. I am delighted that we have a couple of our male colleagues here today to support women on International Women's Day.

Another thing I will highlight is that, during the week, there was an announcement from the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, about how the former international rugby experience museum, which was closed down, would become a museum to highlight women and their achievements. It will be under the National Museum of Ireland. The National Museum of Ireland currently has four venues - three in Dublin and one in Mayo - but this will be the first of its kind, in that it will contribute to the lives of females. I think there are many females in Ireland who have contributed so much but many people do not know about them. This is a step in the right direction in terms of honouring females and acknowledging their contributions to society and life.

I believe that we can all work together in terms of the contribution to support one another while also acknowledging women and the roles they play.

I should have said that I am taking this on behalf of Senator Nikki Bradley.

Part of the Minister's remit is disability and Senator Bradley is a wonderful disability advocate. I wish her all the best.

I am sharing time with Senator Collins.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Ar dtús, is mian liom Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan sona a ghuí ar gach bean in Éirinn agus ar fud an domhain. I wish all women here in the Seanad and in the Dáil, all the female staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas and women all over the country a very happy International Women's Day. Some of the previous speakers have highlighted many positives that have happened and many progressive developments that have occurred.

Today, I highlight the continuing high incidence of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Unfortunately, while there might be increased awareness of the issue, not enough is happening to change the behaviour of people, particularly men. I know men can be subjected to domestic violence, but the majority of victims are women. The statistics on this are quite stark. We know that 35% of women in Ireland, which is more than one in three, have experienced psychological, physical and-or sexual abuse from an intimate partner. We know that between 1996 and November last, 277 women died in Ireland violently. Since 2020, 28 women have died in the North. In both cases, the majority of those were killed by a former or current partner, many of them in their own home and certainly by people they knew. I think only one of the 20 women killed in the North was killed by a woman; all the rest were killed by men or men are being charged in connection with their deaths. A sobering thought is that every day 140 women and girls are killed worldwide by an intimate partner or other members of the family.

I come from one of the counties, Cavan, that still does not have a refuge space. There is no refuge for victims of domestic violence in Cavan and Monaghan. I am glad to say progress is being made. I was a bit concerned by an announcement made by the justice Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, a number of months back when he talked about a refuge for Cavan-Monaghan based in Monaghan. We really want to see a refuge in each county. While a site has been identified in Monaghan and progress is being made on a purpose-built unit, which will still take a couple of years, both Cavan and Monaghan county councils are working very hard to identify a place in each county. I would like an assurance that funding will be available through Cuan to provide a refuge in Cavan as well.

Living in a Border county, I am very aware that an all-island approach should be taken to this issue. Very frequently, women in Cavan, who have been abused by a partner have reported this. While the perpetrator is wanted by the Garda, they will make a very quick exit out of the State across the Border. Suddenly, they cannot be touched by the Garda, yet they are near enough to come back and cause fear for that woman and cause harm if they so choose. I want to see greater co-operation and collaboration between the police forces, the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, on these issues but also on the provision of services and supports for women. There is a refuge in Fermanagh. If there are places in that refuge and there are women in Cavan and Monaghan who need it, why should they not get help in Fermanagh and vice versa? We need to work together. I know there is good collaboration between Women's Aid here and the Women's Aid Federation in NI. We need to see them working across the board in providing the supports that women need.

I could go on about the courts. The courts system needs to be reviewed in relation to how it deals with women and people who are subjected to domestic violence.

Recently, along with my colleague Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, I had the honour of co-hosting a very strong and resilient lady, Margaret Loftus, who went through not just the abuse from her ex-husband but the abuse of a system as she tried to get justice. She is a former member of An Garda Síochána and so is her former husband. She encountered misogyny and corruption within the force to try to block her getting justice. Thankfully, the current Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly, stood up and made sure she got justice which is really welcome. However, we need to cut out misogyny in the Garda and in the Defence Forces where it happens.

On International Women's Day, we celebrate the strength, resilience and leadership of women across Ireland. Today, I want to focus primarily on women in rural areas. As the only female Oireachtas Member living in the county of Limerick and not the city, I am proud to stand and carry the voices of the women who live in rural areas of Ireland. They often feel as though they are undervalued and sometimes invisible. These women in rural areas are farmers, fishers, carers, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare workers and community leaders. They are driving innovation in agriculture, leading diversification on family farms, sustaining our fishing sector and keeping local economies alive. However, they still face too many barriers, from unequal access to land ownership and farm payments to the lack of childcare, public transport and health services which have sometimes made participation in work and public life very difficult.

As my colleagues across the floor have mentioned, it is significant that 2026 has been designated as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. While it represents real opportunity, it must be more than just symbolic and must deliver practical change, namely, improved access to schemes in women's own names, greater visibility in farm ownership and succession planning, targeted supports for women in fishing and a pension system that recognises a lifetime of work on family farms and in coastal communities. We must also acknowledge the emotional and caring labour carried by rural women, often in isolated areas with limited services. Isolation, centralisation of services and the rising cost of living disproportionately impact women. International Women's Day is not just about celebration; it is also about action. It is about ensuring that the next generation of girls growing up in rural areas can see a future for themselves at home with equal opportunity, equal representation and equal respect.

I wish to take a moment to make a special mention of my colleague Senator Nicole Ryan and all the members of the cross-party pregnancy group who have done tremendous work in trying to improve supports and recognise the loss of so many families in Ireland due to early pregnancy loss. Because Senator Byrne did it, I am going to have to mention my sister because she would kill me if I did not. She does amazing work and bringing all these women together on Saturday will be fantastic. I look forward to being there to celebrate International Women's Day with Network Ireland.

I want to give a shout out to Rathkeale in County Limerick which every year holds an amazing International Women's Day celebration. Together, the settled community and the Traveller community walk down the street as an inclusive and integrated community. There are guest speakers at the end and refreshments. It shows how women can be strong in the community and bring people together through shared interest and commonality and shows that we have women power in the country.

I am sharing time with Senator Noonan.

International Women's Day is an important time for us to reflect on how far we have come and also celebrate the women in our lives. As the eldest of five girls, I wish my sisters a happy International Women's Day.

While I was sitting here in the Chamber before speaking, I was thinking back on the strong women in my life and the women who raised me. I was born to a single mother at the time, Mary Twomey Harmon, in the late eighties. She experienced a huge amount of stigma as a single mother at the time in rural Ireland. I still feel it myself. I still think a lot about the injustice that was done to her. At the time, whether a woman decided to keep her baby, travel to England or whatever she decided to do, a woman could never make the right choice. It was not accepted by society because of the way we dealt with pregnancy and reproductive rights at the time. It saddens me to see echoes of that time this week, in particular when we see the granting of planning permission for apartments on the site of the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork. My mother knew women who were sent to Bessborough.

A lot of people knew women who were sent to mother and baby homes at the time. It is very much part of our shameful history. It is important that we have justice for them.

I was partly raised by my grandparents. My late grandmother, Sheila Free Twomey, who passed away when I was 12, played a huge part in raising me. She would have been about my age in 1970. The world was so different for women at the time. A woman had to give up her job in the public service when she got married – this was before the marriage bar was lifted. They could not sit on juries, did not have access to contraception, would not have been able to refuse sex to their husbands, did not have proper property rights, could barely buy a pint in many pubs and, of course, pay inequality was a huge issue. How far we have come is remarkable. I played a role in the 2018 referendum on reproductive rights. It is extraordinary how much change across the three generations there has been in my lifetime.

Before I spoke, I thought about being in my grandmother's kitchen with my mother when I was about seven or eight. We were around the kitchen table and I can still remember the colour of the walls, which were green. My mother and grandmother were very excited and said they were going to play a cassette tape. My aunt got to go to the Áras and met Mary Robinson, which was a big deal. It was the start of Mary Robinson's Presidency. Of course, she opened up the Presidency to the public. As my aunt was one of the few in the family that did not emigrate, she spoke about the effects of emigration on her family. I remember we sat around and listened to the cassette tape. I remember the influence a political figure could have on a child and women in the country.

I want to thank fellow Senators and other public representatives in the Oireachtas for being trail-blazers on so many issues. I thank the man who supported me. It is often men who do not go on about it or do not have to speak too much about being feminists. They just get on with it and support you. In all of the political elections I have run for, it has primarily been men who have encouraged and stood behind me. It is important to acknowledge the role played by men.

I want to speak about women's health in particular and the need for us to do more. A lot of progress has been made but we need to put more supports in place for women across all ages. Women who experience early pregnancy loss should be entitled to proper and adequate leave. Those accessing fertility treatment should also have access to leave. We need more progress on postnatal care in this country. A motion was unanimously passed by a cross-party group two weeks ago on a year of care after birth, not just the current six-week check, which is not sufficient. Of course, workplaces need to support and recognise women during menstruation and menopause. We need to raise more awareness of menopause. It is great to see that a lot of progress has been made on that area, but it needs to be spoken about more and we need more support in place.

There is a new endometriosis hub in Cork University Hospital, CUH, which is welcome. It needs to be properly resourced and staffed. This is another area that needs more investment and support. We do not talk about women's health issues a lot. As a society, we have not spoken about them and there is a lot of stigma and silence around women's health. Many women say they feel they are not listened to when they go to a GP and are not taken seriously.

The theme this year is "give to gain". Unfortunately, a report from ICTU today states that men make 3.5% more than women, on average. It depends on what profession one is looking at, but the gender pay gap still exists. We are doing much better in the Seanad, with 40% female representation compared to the Dáil. We need more women to enter politics. All of the rights we as women have were fought for and won, but rights can be taken away. In the context of the world at the moment, between Trump, the Epstein files and everything else we are seeing politically, we have to ensure we protect the rights we have and ensure they are not eroded.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Is lá an-tábhachtach ar an bhféilire é Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan. Is lá é chun díriú ar an méid atá ar siúl inár sochaí ina bhfuil mná agus cailíní ar nós an t-athrú aeráide, an scrios agus an dúshaothrú. Tá mé ag iarraidh caint faoi na mná atá ag obair chun ár domhan a athrú agus a shábháil, de ghnáth ag baint óna ghnáthshaol chun é seo a dhéanamh.

On this day of statements to mark International Women's Day, we have all spoken of the awesome women in our own lives and the women we know. I am fortunate to be surrounded by women and girls in my life, coming from a family of seven girls and an amazing mother, Kathleen, who reared ten of us. I have my lovely wife Jennie and the joy of having Kitty in our lives. I am part of a group in Seanad Éireann with three amazing and powerful women politicians. Indeed, I acknowledge all of the women in politics, the women Seanadoirí anseo and the additional challenges they face in the most patriarchal of professions.

As an environmentalist, I know women and girls are at the forefront in suffering from the destruction and exploitation of our natural world. Displacement through climate breakdown, deforestation, the poisoning of our drinking water, conflict and extractive industries very often pushes families out of household settings and into refugee camps. Almost ten years ago to the day, on 2 March 2016, gunmen broke into the home of an indigenous Lenca environmental defender, Berta Cáceres. They shot her dead and injured her friend Gustavo Castro. Berta was an environmental defender and was defending her community along the River Gualcarque in Honduras from the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam project. High-ranking executives from the construction company, former military and the executioners were convicted and imprisoned for her murder.

It was found in a recently concluded report that Berta was the victim of corporate crime. She was murdered because, in defending her community and environment, her actions could have potentially stopped the project and impacted on the profits of shareholders. This was not a unique or one-off incident. In fact, common tactics deployed by companies like DESA in this case were harassment, intimidation, the destruction of lands, restricting movement and even murder. Berta is one of 2,200 environmental and land offenders murdered since 2012, with over 6,200 recorded incidents of attacks, many of which involved women.

State, corporate and local actors are complicit in many cases. There is very little we can do here, apart from raise issues diplomatically or ensure that trade rules are not facilitating such exploitation. We should be aware as legislators, however, that our actions, how we fund development, the developments we fund and the new deregulation agenda are contributing to environmental destruction for the profits of corporates and the displacement of indigenous peoples. Indeed, this was found to be the cases in regard to the Agua Zarca project, which was part funded by the Dutch bank.

Berta's murder led to a public outcry in Honduras and around the world. The voice they tried to silence grew louder. Her legacy is new laws protecting indigenous communities from extractive industries and exploitation. Berta has become a powerful symbol for the power of women in the face of environmental degradation, the struggle for water and land rights and the fight for mother Earth. On this International Women's Day, we pay tribute to women environmental defenders all over the world and thank them for their efforts to restore our common home.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is "give to gain". I was in Ballyfermot yesterday to attend an International Women's Day event. I saw the poverty and homelessness there. Today, I visited the SAOL Project and spoke to women who were recovering from addiction. They are giving it their all and gaining fuck all. It is as simple as that. These are women who are homeless on our streets. We come in here every year with the same auld copy-and-paste speeches about how much we want to stop poverty for women and be inclusive. It breaks my heart and boils my blood. There has been little or no action.

We have been celebrating International Women's Day for 115 years. I never even knew there was such a day until about 2018, when I was first included in celebrating women. There are women looking at us standing up and congratulating ourselves on being the best in the world for helping poor women. God help us.

These are the women I saw in addiction today. Women are going through more homelessness and domestic violence. We can have all the strategies in the world and we can stand up and give all of the speeches we want, but action is needed.

Last week, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and other politicians in this space voted against women who were never heard in Irish society and who are looking to find their loved ones and the sites where they are buried. The voted against that, so how can we stand here today and say we are all about women's rights. What women? There was a protest outside Leinster House earlier. I would not bother going to it. The protest was about the gender pay gap. How many women who are members of the Traveller community are in employment? The answer is very few. How many of the women I met today have had their children taken away from them by child and family services? Many of these women have been clean for the past two or three years but they have few or no supports.

I remember being in a refuge with my mother in 1996. Women like her were told that they could go there for respite. She was the mother of nine children who went through domestic violence. It is the same for women today as it was for women like my mother. I see it with members of the Traveller community and women from other ethnic minority groups. The Minister of State is here today, and this is not her fault. Of course it is not. These inequalities come from what happened under previous Governments as well. I am blue in the face talking about this. I am like the women I met today from the Saol Project. It is all talk and no action. This morning, I was on the verge of trying to vote against the House sitting and talking about gender equality. Why have we not gone out and brought these women in here. There is a certain type of woman that we bring into Leinster House. We bring in the good Travellers, the good black women and good women who are not in addiction and who are educated and have degrees. What about the women in the Dóchas prison? What about the women who are homeless? What about women like my sister who is homeless and who is an alcoholic? What about women like her who were failed by this State when she had her six children? She was failed by women's organisations, just like many other members of the Traveller community.

I worked with the National Traveller Women's Forum before I came to the Seanad. I was both a token and a poster woman for all of these women's organisations. It is grand. It got me a platform here today, but I am sick to death of us talking about strategies and inclusion. Those things mean absolutely nothing unless we have action. Women give to gain. These are women who are giving it their all through a health service that is on its knees and that is barely standing. It would not be standing if we did not have the migrant women - doctors, nurses, etc. - working in it.

I will not stand here, thank men and say that they are brilliant and are a part of gender equality. Of course they are part of gender equality, but they have also been part of disempowering women over many decades. We talk about men at the top. I have seen a black man at the top in Irish society. I have never seen a Traveller man at the top. I have never seen an ordinary working-class man at the top or seated in this room. We are very hypocritical. While women and children are living in hubs and hotels, we come here being do-gooders, talking about the great work and the fact that we brought in a few women, and so we are absolutely brilliant. Go out and work with these women. Go into the Dóchas Centre, like Senator Lynn Ruane does. Go out and work in these communities. Go out and speak to these women.

I spoke to a woman today who had to have part of her stomach removed a month ago because she has cancer. She is one of the strongest women I ever met. This is what we need to do. We need to go out to these women. We need to put policies and legislation in place that protect all women and children. There should be no more talking shops and do-gooding. Let us get the women in here. Nothing about us without us. Let us be inclusive. We talk about there being one Member of the Oireachtas who happens to be a member of the Traveller community and who is pigeon-holed to constantly bring up issues that impact Travellers. Why are there not other women in these Chambers bringing up the issues that impact Travellers? Why is it always the woman who happens to be a member of the Traveller community who is held accountable for 40,000 Travellers? That is up to you all to answer, not me. The answer for me is that I will keep going and keep chipping away at this. I have to do that for the women I met today, for the women I met yesterday and for the women who are living in poverty, who are going through addiction and who are giving it their all and gaining fuck all.

With that, we will move to Senator O'Loughlin. We have six speakers. If it is agreeable, will we give them three minutes each in order to let everybody contribute. Every voice is important here today. Is that agreed? Agreed.

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.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith anseo inniu chun ráitis faoi Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan a phlé. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go bhfuil comhrá faoi.

I would like to highlight the importance of International Women's Day, which is still incredibly necessary and relevant. Statistics on gender-based violence, the employment gap and political representation all show how much we really have to do to strive for equality.

The list just goes on and on. While progress is being made, we need to be very mindful of areas where progress is incredibly slow.

Today, I want to focus on something positive, which is women in agriculture. This year is the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer, which is great recognition that is both timely and overdue. Women have always been central to farming, food production and rural life, particularly in Ireland, but for many years their contribution was completely undervalued and unrecorded. For generations, women have farmed the land, raised families and looked after elderly relatives and they continue to do so, usually without formal recognition. I am very proud to come from a family of strong farming women. My mam started out as an An Chomhairle Oiliúna Talmhaíochta, ACOT, farm adviser and for many years now she has run the family farm at home, first with my dad and then later with my brother. My nanny raised 11 children while also pretty much running the farm, although that might be disputed by certain uncles. Women like them have shaped the Irish rural landscape and Irish agriculture and it is important that we pay tribute to them.

While progress is being made and we are seeing a lot more prominent female figures in agriculture, we are still nowhere near equality. We still have a way lower number of female herd owners and farm owners and it is very difficult to access finance and land. We really need to strive to address these inequalities because as well as being the right thing to do, it makes strategic sense. When we look at generational renewal and at food and farm security, we need women. It has been shown that where women are involved and supported, farms are more resilient, environmental practices are stronger, community engagement increases and generational renewal is more likely. This is incredibly important in an Irish context when we face challenges in farm viability, ageing farmer demographics and a myriad of other issues. On International Women's Day and in the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we need action. Supporting women in farming is not just about gender equality. It is about the resilience of food, strengthening our communities and the sustainability of Irish agriculture for future generations.

I came up today with absolutely no intention of saying anything. I just came up to be part of the occasion and to show cause with my female Seanadóirí colleagues but I want to take the opportunity to respond to a few things that I heard during the course of the day. I want to begin by acknowledging what I heard via the monitor this morning from Senator Comyn. She spoke about the vulnerability of sections of our population and I want to thank her for drawing attention to that. As a principal teacher, I came across several instances of that type violence and it leaves an impression. I thank her for raising it on the Commencement this morning.

Senator Tully was talking about women's refuges and the lack of a refuge in County Cavan. We are encouraged by the meeting between the Commissioner and the chief constable last week that there may be greater collaboration between the police forces on that particular subject, but she made a very cogent argument for the refuge.

There was an impassioned speech from Senator Flynn and my response to that is that I knew nothing of those difficulties when I was growing up. I grew up in a very traditional nuclear family but I would have to say of my dear mother that her husband emigrated back in the 1950s when things were tough and she brought up six of us. She also kept lodgers to keep the show on the road, so in her own quiet way, even though she did not have any interchange with drugs, violence or anything like that, I still consider her one of the great heroes that I would have come across in my life. It does not necessarily have to be about women facing up to violence. In their own quiet way, as somebody said, it is often the people who say the least who can be the most effective.

Back in the 1990s, the trade union that I belong to was 90% female. I am just saying this to my female colleagues because it is a trap that they could fall into. Indeed, I heard it mentioned in the House already today. Even though the trade union had a 90% female membership, there was a big push, if not a groundswell, for reserved places on the national executive for women. I am sure most people here would believe that democracy is indivisible. It is one person, one voice. If one starts looking for reserve places for women on anything, one demeans the whole cause.

I agree.

As International Women's Day approaches, I am usually asked two very distinct questions. First, why do we still have to have International Women's Day? Second, what about an international men's day? The answer to the second one is quite simple because there is an International Men's Day on 19 November every year. How men choose to celebrate it is entirely up to them. The fact is that International Women's Day is still relevant and still needs to happen because, despite real progress, we are still not there. We still have not reached the full equality that we need. This year's theme urges us to accelerate action for gender equality and there are two very distinct aspects to that phrase. We have made progress but we are not there yet.

As the new chair of the women's caucus in the Oireachtas, I have had the privilege of engaging with women in political life across the Chamber here, in the Lower House and right across Northern Ireland and beyond. Recently, I met members of the Northern Ireland Women's Assembly Caucus and parliamentary colleagues in Westminster. Despite the different jurisdictions, the conversations were strikingly similar. We spoke about representation, safety and the scrutiny and hostility that women face in public life and yet, I remain hopeful. I am heartened by the number of women who now choose to enter political life, me included. Women who may have hesitated previously are now stepping forward and the support networks are stronger. In particular, from every single woman that I have worked with here in the Seanad and right across Leinster House, the support has been absolutely tremendous. That mentoring really does matter.

Governments should speak for everybody. Women must have a voice in the rooms where decisions are made. Former President Mary Robinson once said that the future of Ireland depended on the full participation of women. Those words remain as relevant today as the day they were spoken. They echo the legacy of pioneers such Countess Constance Markievicz who not only helped to shape the foundation of our State but became the first female Cabinet Minister in Europe. I pass her statues and portraits every day and they remind me of what a pioneer she was. A new portrait was unveiled only last night. She paved the way for all of us.

In recent years, we have made real progress. Ireland has seen huge improvements in women's healthcare, with free contraception, free HRT, endometriosis care and greater recognition of specific women's healthcare. I would hope to see melatonin being made available over the counter to menopausal women. That is next on my list.

Of course, we have to talk about the arts and education. Women have come along in leaps and bounds in entering third level education and are pursuing careers in all walks of life. I must echo the words of the Minister, Deputy Foley, when she spoke about Jessie Buckley. What an absolute inspiration that woman is and I wish her every success in the forthcoming Oscars to complete whatever the multiple word is for a hat trick. Alongside this, we have to talk about the disparities we still have and the lack of progress on gender parity. That said, it is an absolute honour to be a woman working in political life here. I look forward to working with each and every one of my colleagues and I want to wish everybody a happy International Women's Day and the same to the men in November.

See you in November.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Nach iontach an rud é gur beirt bhan iad an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins, agus an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Seanadóir Rabbitte, agus muid ag plé Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan.

I am going to use my few minutes to raise the issue of women in sport. I feel a responsibility to do it. I probably sound like a broken record at this point but we have to keep talking about the agendas that we want to push in the Oireachtas. There is a theme for the International Women's Day and there is also a theme for Sport Ireland's women in sport week, which is the same energy. Again, it goes back to just celebrating women and equality for women and girls. It is really important to remember that if we are talking about equality of opportunity for girls and women in sport, we have to make sure we are talking about the right opportunities.

Women will get involved in sport for very different reasons from men. Very often, it is just to have a bit of fun and the social side of sport. Sometimes the competitive nature of sport drives young girls away from sport. We have to make sure that we are putting the right opportunities in place for our girls. Are they into rugby? Great, if they are into rugby. Maybe, they are into baton twirling or acro dancing. If they are, then we have to make sure that those facilities and opportunities are available to girls.

Gender quotas have worked very well in sport governance to get that 40%. We women sometimes do not put up our hands. Senator Comyn mentioned about more women putting up their hands for political life. It is the same for leadership and coaching. We need more women coaching young girls because a girl will gravitate towards a female coach when they are seven, eight, nine or ten years old. When they get their first period, it is the female coach that they are going to want to talk to, not the male coach. We need to have more female coaches, which means coach education, but it also means empowering women to make sure they realise they can do a job and put their hand up for a job, whether it is voluntary or an executive position. In terms of leadership, we need make sure that we do not lose focus that we need female leaders in sport as well. Male allyship is so important. Most of us women in politics, agriculture, sport or any walk of life would not be here without male allies. It is important to acknowledge that. It is the only way to continue the growth of the women in this sector and other sectors.

Regarding inclusion and equality, we need inclusion for all in sport, including disability sport and trans women in sport. These are areas we are going to have to discuss and examine when it comes to the sports landscape in Ireland going forward. Happy International Women's Day, International Women's Week and Women in Sport Week to everybody in the Oireachtas and all my colleagues outside.

Before I go to the next speaker, is it okay if I take off time from the Minister of State's speaking time, so I can give everybody more time? The Senators cannot say it in one minute. They need the two minutes.

Behind every change we see in Ireland, there is a woman who refused to stay silent. That is what my mother says to me anyway. She is the most important woman in my life. She is the only woman who has tuned in every single time I have stood in this Chamber for the past year. As we mark International Women's Day, I reflect on the many battles in Ireland we still have. There is progress, but we still have to strive for better.

This day last year, I raised the issue of endometriosis in this Chamber, highlighting the reality faced by thousands of women who have spent years seeking a diagnosis and struggling to access treatment. Since then, we have had progress with the establishment of the national task force and the introduction of the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme, ESAIS, to access care outside of Ireland for women who cannot access proper multidisciplinary teams in Ireland. It is a payment upfront scheme. It is welcome. These developments came because of the voices of women who refused to stay silent. They were finally heard.

Over the past year in this role, I have had the privilege of meeting many incredible women in this country. It has framed so much of my work here. I have met survivors of domestic and sexual abuse who showed incredible courage in speaking out about the trauma they experienced and the barriers they faced when seeking justice and support. I am proud to have seen the access to justice Bill brought forward by Deputy Matt Carthy as a result of these incredible women coming forward.

I have met women who want to work and talk about their independence and opportunities. There are barriers that we still have to work on, such as childcare costs, which makes the choice feel out of reach for them.

There is incredible work being done by the all-party Good Friday Agreement committee. It published an important report on women and constitutional change which made a powerful point that if constitutional change comes, Ireland will have a rare opportunity to design a process that truly includes women in shaping a new and agreed Ireland. That process must centre the voices of those too often overlooked. Across Ireland, women are already stepping forward and taking part in the conversation about Ireland's constitutional future. As Constance Markievicz once said, "We have proved ourselves to be as good as men." The women of Ireland continue to prove it every single day. I will continue to bring their voices into the Seanad Chamber and frame my work.

My two minutes is working very well.

It is really good. Do not tell the officials.

It is highly appropriate on International Women's Day that a man gets up at the end to mansplain everything to everybody. I was struck by Senator Comyn's comment about International Men's Day. In many respects, every day is International Men's Day because of the structural inequalities and the obstacles to women and girls all over the world. At the moment in the world, things are at a very difficult point for women and girls, whether it is Islamic fundamentalism, the Taliban, fundamental Christianity in parts of the United States or the manosphere. While they differ philosophically and religiously, they all agree on one thing, and that is the exploitation and oppression of women and girls. That is something we all have to join together to fight.

In the committees that I am involved in, it is quite clear. With the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security, we had a visit to the Gormanston integrated training camp. Afterwards, I was contacted by two young female soldiers. One had been the victim of a serious physical assault and the other the victim of a serious sexual assault in Óglaigh na hÉireann. We still have these persistent problems. In the disability matters and health committees, we found out that 99% of the burden of unpaid carer is taken up by women and girls, including girls like my daughter, who is 21 years old but who, when she was 14 or 15, was helping to toilet and clothe her older brother when he was 17 or 18.

Senator Ní Chuilinn mentioned allies. We all have to stick together so that we do not collaborate with and extend patriarchal discourses that oppress women. I have come across sometimes in the reprisal that was visited on me for speaking out on gender-based violence in the Defence Forces that some of the people who engaged in that reprisal were women. That is very interesting. We have to be clear to all work together.

I thank all my great female colleagues here. I have made some great friends. They are very formidable politicians. Senator McDowell has gone now. He would often give me a little bit of mentoring and advice on how to deal with some of the formidable and politically very able women here. I am looking at Senator O'Loughlin. I recall making a big speech one day. When we were going out, she said, "Great speech, Tom. I loved hearing it again." I love her collegiality, wit and political acumen. I am always learning from all my female colleagues.

The Minister of State will have eight minutes to respond. That two minutes was well stretched.

I thank the Acting Chairperson very much. I appreciate that. I am glad we did that because it is important for every Senator who wants the opportunity to speak on this to be able to do so. I thank everybody for participating in today's remarks. There were some really thoughtful contributions. That is fantastic. International Women's Day and the lead-up to it is about taking the opportunity to pause, reflect, think and celebrate the absolutely extraordinary contribution of women and girls across Ireland. Every single day, we see women achieving remarkable things, whether it is in sport, science, technology, law, business, education, public service, homes or communities across Ireland. None of that progress happens by chance. It is built on the courage of the women who came before us. These are women who pushed through barriers, insisted on fairness, demanded change and made it possible for the next generation to dream bigger.

As the Minister, Deputy Foley, said, Ireland has made real strides in advancing gender equality. It is positive to see our progress reflected in the EU gender equality index. It shows that our commitments are not just words and not just strategies. They are actions and, most importantly, they are working. The same can be said of our approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I wish to take a moment to recognise the work of Cuan and refuges across Ireland. The newly launched national strategy for women and girls is central to progress. It recognises that women experience different things at different stages in their lives with different challenges at different moments. It ensures that our policies respond with empathy and understanding.

In the Department, we are working hard to raise awareness around gender equality to understand where women and girls face barriers and to take practical steps to remove them. We want every woman and girl to have the freedom and the support to choose their own path. We have also strengthened the supports across the life cycle, including family leave entitlements, that make a real difference to working parents across the country. We remain committed to ensuring more women can rise into leadership roles of every description. I am proud that Ireland has now fully transposed the EU directive on gender balance on corporate boards because diversity in leadership strengthens every organisation. As a backbench TD when I was first elected to Dáil Éireann, that is something I tabled my first legislation on. It is fantastic to see it come to fruition.

It is also vital we speak about gender equality in an intersectional way because women do not share a single experience. As we have heard from contributions today, background, ethnicity, disability and income circumstances all shape the challenges women face. If we want genuine equality, we must design policies that reflect and respect this diversity.

I appreciate the warning we heard today regarding democracy, but to maybe give a different perspective on that, I believe our democracy is unfinished. It is unfinished until we have better and adequate representation - not just women, but also disabled people and people from different ethnic backgrounds and minorities. I very much look forward to seeing a complete democracy in Ireland.

As Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I am especially proud of the national human rights strategy for disabled people that was launched last year. It was launched and co-created with disabled people. Together with the national strategy for women and girls, these two strategies have the power to deliver meaningful change in the lives of disabled women and girls. This Government remains firmly committed to advancing gender equality, both here at home and on a global stage.

I wish to take a moment to talk about women from outside of Ireland. There is so much work to do and we are honest about that here in Ireland, but we also need to be honest about that internationally. Today is an opportunity to celebrate the real progress we have made, but it is also an opportunity to think about what we need to do differently, and to look forward with renewed hope and determination to brighter futures, not just here but also abroad, where women and girls need that hope now more than ever.

Ultimately, that is what this is all about. It is about ensuring every girl in Ireland and across the world grows up knowing her opportunities are and should be unlimited, that she is and should be valued, and that she is capable and can lead, shape and contribute to the future of society, her country and our globe. I thank the Acting Chair for taking the opportunity to ensure this debate happened today.

I thank the Minister of State and everybody else for their co-operation. I know I may have cut some people's time short, but I thank everyone for their co-operation and for their very lived and passionate contributions that were brought to the floor this afternoon.