Gender equality is the concept that women and men should enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society. It envisions a society where all individuals, regardless of their gender, can live in safety and dignity and have the ability to realise their full potential, both contributing to and benefiting from economic, social, cultural and political development.
Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born female or male. The pursuit of gender equality is an issue which concerns all members of society, and is seen as both a human rights issue and as a precondition for achieving a sustainable people-centred development.
The government has adopted a systematic, evidence-based approach in its efforts to work towards gender equality publishing several successive national strategies, each listing various strategic actions developed in coordination with key stakeholders. There has been a concerted effort to ensure that the government’s approach to this issue is cohesive with the international policy context, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Ireland continues to work with international bodies including the European Union and the United Nations to advocate for and support the rights of women and girls both domestically and around the world.