Women in Ireland

• Women were expected to marry and have kids, and dependent on their husbands
• Jobs: wealthier women didn’t go to work and supervised their maids and children, poorer women worked as house cleaners and in rural areas women worked outdoors
• Things Irish women couldn’t do: 1) keep their jobs in civil service jobs once they got married (known as the marriage bar), 2) buy contraceptives, the selling and distribution of contraceptives was illegal, 3) drink in a pub, 5) they weren’t able to get a restraining order against a violent partner, 6) own their own house (it would be under the husbands name and he could sell it without telling his wife)
• How Women’s position gradually changed: they had a greater access to education (raised girls expectations of what they could achieve), outside ideas influenced life in Ireland, Ireland joined the UN which encouraged women to be more involved, growing economy provided job opportunities
• Equal pay (for work of equal value) and the employment equality act (which banned gender discrimination in employment) were introduced in the 70s
• once women became married they couldn’t keep their job in public/civil services
• women weren’t allowed to get a restraining order from an abusive partner and were unable to own their house outright before 1976
• the marriage bar was removed in 1973 (allowed them to keep their jobs after getting married)
• divorce became legal in 1996