Women, employment and maternalism in Ireland

Dorota Szelewa

Chapter 8 in Women’s Economic Empowerment and the State, 2026, pp 160-180 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Despite the influence of Catholicism and decades of a strong male-breadwinner model in Ireland, some recent changes signal that there is a departure from previous understandings of separate gender roles and a move towards increased gender equality. Rapid economic growth coupled with societal modernization has led to an increase in women's employment rates. In addition, same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015, following a referendum, and in 2018 a long-standing law banning access to abortion was overturned. Within this context, this chapter briefly characterizes the extent to which gender equality and women's economic empowerment have been achieved in Ireland, paying particular attention to the role of maternalism in shaping women's lives.

Keywords: Gender Equality; Maternalism; Male-Breadwinner Model; Ireland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803921167
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