I want to mark International Women's Day by recognising the fantastic women across the country, in particular our mothers. The Irish mammy is always considered a formidable figure and we all have memories of our mothers and grandmothers, who spent their lives rearing families, taking care of everything in the home and not sitting down until everybody was happy and looked after. The value of a stay-at-home mother, if it was salaried, is around €57,000 per year but we all know that does not include the late nights, being up with sick babies or sleepless nights until one's child gets home safe from a night out. The majority of carers in this country and worldwide are women - daughters, sisters and nieces - who do not hesitate to take on the responsibility of caring for their loved ones. They often do it on top of work and in many cases, they take a financial hit rather than see their family member go without care.

Women account for 51% of the population but when we look at our healthcare, our tax system and even our social protection system, it does not feel like we are well represented. We joke about women of a certain age sitting at the window because they have hot flushes. Many of us do not talk about menopause openly or even know we can go to our GP for help. Women with endometriosis have gone from doctor to doctor being prescribed anti-inflammatories and told their cramps are normal. It is not normal to be in so much pain that you cannot get out of bed or you pass out on the bathroom floor. Tax individualisation has had the worst impact on families. Women who may want to stay at home to mind their children cannot do so because our tax system favours two-income households. Carers, who are mainly women, still wait for the means test for carer's allowance to be cut. If we want International Women's Day to mean anything, we need policies and legislation that are tailored with the needs of women and children in mind.