The 2020-2021 Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality was created by the Oirechtas to deliberate upon issues of gender equality and create policy recommendations.
Problems and Purpose
The 2020-2021 Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality was created by the Oirechtas to deliberate upon issues of gender equality and create policy recommendations. Due, in significant part, to its roots in Catholicism,[i]Ireland has a longstanding history of gender inequality, particularly evidenced by lagging reproductive rights—Ireland legalized abortion only in 2018[ii]— the rising gender pay gap, and rising inequalities in care work.[iii] Further, inequalities surrounding gender roles, women’s employment, gender-based violence, and involvement in politics and leadership, continue to be causes for concern.[iv] Coupled with this broader context and history, the Oirechtas created the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality as a result of the issue of gender inequality laden in the Constitution, which was previously brought up in the 2012-2014 Constitutional Convention and the 2016 Irish Citizens’ Assembly.[v]
The Assembly was asked to bring policy proposals that address social norms and attitudes that facilitate gender discrimination; economic and salary norms that disadvantage women; women’s participation and leadership in the workplace, politics, and public life; work-life balance by valuing infant parental care; the social responsibility of care that disproportionately falls on women; and structural pay inequalities.[vi]
Background History and Context
The Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality was the successor of two previous assemblies: the 2016 Citizens’ Assembly that was created to discuss Constitutional issues and the 2012 Constitutional Convention intended to create future possible amendments to the Constitution. In both previous assemblies, the issue of gender was salient: in the 2016 Citizens’ Assembly, the Eight Amendment (right to abortion) was one of the main issues discussed,[vii] and the Constitutional Convention resulted in one out of nine reports on the role of women and women in politics.[viii]Additionally, the Constitutional Convention, after reviewing the Constitutional clause asserting that women’s role was domestic, recommended that the clause be changed, deleted, or modified. The Oirechtas later decided that prior to a referendum on the issue of women’s role in care, these issues and those adjacent be deliberated upon in a Citizens’ Assembly. Thus, in June 2019, the Oirechtas created the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality.[ix] Integral to the creation of this assembly were feminist organizations, such as Waking the Feminists, Women in Sport, Women on Air, the National Women’s Traveller Forum, the Irish ambassador to the UN, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar,[x] all of whom attested to the prevalence of gender disparities in various realms.[xi]
All meetings except the first of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which created substantial impacts on gender disparities, especially in the aspects of care and work. Although the pandemic’s disproportionate gender impact only happened after the creation of this assembly, the pandemic created a “cultural shift in attitudes” and “magnified many shortcomings” regarding gender inequality that greatly affected the proceedings (both in format and substance) and effects of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality, as the Assembly itself noted in its open letter to the Houses of Oirechtas.[xii]
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality was set up by Oirechtas resolution. There were several components to the assembly: a Chairperson, the Secretariat, an Expert Advisory Group, a Steering Group, the members of the assembly, and a research branch. The Chairperson, Dr. Catherine Day, former Secretary General of the European Commission, was appointed by the government and served the purpose of directing the proceedings; the Secretariat, tasked with central administrative duties, was composed of civil servants from the Department of the Taoiseach; the Expert Advisory Group was to assist the Chairperson and Secretariat in constructing a work program for the assembly, to ensure citizens had access to neutral and accurate background information, and to advise the selection of expert and civil society presenters; the members of the Steering Group were chosen representatively (in terms of gender, age, and region) from the members of the assembly, to help the Chair and Secretariat guide the work of the Assembly; and the research branch, headed by Professor Jane Suiter of Dublin City University and selected by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Irish Research Council and an independent panel, abided by the Oirechtas’ resolution that there be independent researchers to monitor and record the deliberative quality of the assembly.[xiii]
While various feminist interest groups and individuals advocated for the creation of this assembly, some feminist critics voiced concerns about the assembly’s limited agenda, its lack of emphasis on women’s health and violence against women, and its lack of intersectionality.[xiv] It should be noted that members of the public, including advocates and critics, were invited to submit comments in the public consultation process of the assembly.[xv]
The assembly was funded by the government, and it costed a total of €628,398. Various private companies made the operations of the assembly possible, including Roomaxx Ltd, Amarach Research, Pi Comms, Beatrice.ie Translation & Tour Guiding Services, Q4PR, and The Grand Hotel, Malahide.[xvi]
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Amarach Research, an independent polling company, selected the citizen members of the assembly, in a process that took place from November 2018 to February 2020. 99 citizens were randomly selected in a representative sample done in accordance with 2016 Census data (limited to those eligible to vote in a referendum), with quotas based on gender, age, region, and social class. Notably, substitutes in addition to members were chosen, who were used particularly after the onset of the pandemic.[xvii]
The recruitment process took place in three stages. The company conducted an initial stage of recruitment by going to 60 random locations to recruit citizens door-to-door to generate a list of interested candidates who matched the pre-set criteria. Then, in a follow up call, the company re-screened those that were recruited to ensure that their qualifications met the criteria. The final step entailed the Citizens’ Assembly to verify the participation of each individual by telephone. Certain categories of citizens were excluded during the screening process, including certain categories of politicians and political party members, journalists and others working in the media, and campaigners around gender.[xviii]
Methods and Tools Used
The method and tools used for this assembly fit the general method of citizens’ assemblies.[xix] More detail is provided in the next section.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
Initially, it was decided that there would be six meetings of the assembly at The Grand Hotel, Malahide in Dublin, with the exception of the inaugural introductory meeting which would be held at Dublin Castle, held between January 25, 2020 and July 4-5, 2020. Following the inaugural meeting, the meetings topics of the meetings would be: norms, stereotypes, and Article 41; leadership; work and social protection I; work and social protection II; care; Article 41; Domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence and care; and finalizing ballot papers and voting.[xx]
The structure of each substantive meeting included factual presentations from experts, presentations from advocacy groups, personal experience stories, and substantial time for citizens to participate in discussion in small groups and plenary session. Importantly, public consultation played a crucial role, in which the assembly called for submissions from January 29, 2020 to March 6, 2020, which were then analyzed by Dr. Pauline Cullen of Maynooth University, who presented her analysis to the citizens on the July 4th, 2020 session. There was a systematic and transparent approach to identifying issues for discussion, including relaying 3 to 5 priority recommendations from each breakout group to the whole assembly, additional recommendations collared from breakout group notes, and additional recommendations from responses to surveys. Additionally, the Chair emphasized six guiding principles for the rules of procedure: openness, fairness, equality of voice, respect, collegiality, and efficiency.[xxi]
From the second substantive session onwards, the COVID-19 pandemic had started, so the assembly made changes with the meeting format and procedure. After results from a survey sent to all members and a consequent pilot event, the assembly was moved online. Further changes to the meeting format were adapted to better suit the online environment: presentations became shorter, there were more breaks, presentations were pre-recorded and sent out in advance to citizens to maximize discussion time. For the later meetings during which ballot papers were to be agreed upon, a panel of experts answered questions that arose from breakout rooms and Zoom polls were utilized to check whether members were ready to agree to ballot questions. To emulate informal interactions that were commonplace during the in-person meeting, citizens were allowed to chat with each other before the session began and during the lunch break. Further, to solicit feedback on the planning and scheduling of main session meetings and to maintain a link between members, the Chair, and the Secretariat, there were optional evening meetings, the attendance to which varied between 30 and 42. Members were also reimbursed for expenses related to upgrading technological equipment, which resolved any technical issues during the meetings. Voting was conducted online, securely, confidentially, and accessibly through a system provided Mi-Voice Democracy Technology Limited. On average, 80 members attended each meeting.[xxii]
Influence, Outcome, and Effects
The Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality culminated in an open letter[xxiii] and a set of 45 recommendations[xxiv] on all the topics in the Oirechtas resolution. The letter and recommendations urged progress on equality, pushing for structural changes in a radical program of reform. Importantly, the assembly voted to delete Article 41.2 of the Constitution, which asserts a woman’s place in the home and replace it with an assertion of a “state obligation to bring in reasonable measures to support care within the home and the wider community.”[xxv] Among the recommendations, the assembly proposed to create gender quotas for party candidates to the Seanead and European Parliament elections.[xxvi] Further, members also agreed on several recommendations to advance gender equality in law and policy, including expanding data collection on gender issues, prioritizing action where there are inequalities, assessing the impact of new laws, policies, and expenditures on gender equality, and creating a statutory body and a Cabinet Member focused on ensuring the delivery of gender equality.[xxvii]
The impact of these recommendations on law and policy is still currently unraveling, but foremost, the Oirechtas established the Committee on Gender Equality in December 2021 in order to review the report of the Citizens’ Assembly, set to report to both the Dail and Seanad nine months after its first public meeting.[xxviii] However, stereotyping, resistance to change, and the perception that gender equality furthering policies would be too expensive prove to be obstacles to creating the changes that the assembly recommended.[xxix] The Citizens’ Assembly format has been a popular and effective democratic innovation, resulting in several new citizens assemblies in 2022.[xxx] Notably, there remains significant concerns about the range of individuals who choose to participate in these assemblies despite representative sampling, since they tend to be wealthier and more progressive, potentially creating skewed and non-representative results.[xxxi]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
The independent research led by Professor Jane Suiter found overall that the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality was a “very well run process, with high deliberative quality and good levels of knowledge gain and understanding by members…the transition to online was well thought through and carried out efficiently.”[xxxii] Quotes from the research group’s interviews are testaments to this claim: One interviewee stated, “I was definitely more a person who made presumptions or assumptions. ...But it [the Assembly] definitely opened my mind. If I [saw] someone was pushing for, we’ll say, gender quotas, I’d say ‘och, here we go’. But after reading that and seeing there are certainly reasonable arguments, and it is something that needs to be reached, I totally agree.”[xxxiii]
With regards to participant selection, Suiter et al. find that given only 100 members, statistical representativeness did not result in substantial recruitment of people from minority backgrounds. Further, by using an electoral register to draw the sample, almost all migrants, and many other groups, including the homeless were missed. Thus, the researchers recommend that a hybrid recruitment strategy combining statistical and cross-sectional representativeness.[xxxiv]
Additionally, the researchers found the combination of face-to-face and mail processes to recruit contributed to greater commitment and a greater variety of people participating.[xxxv]
In evaluating deliberative quality, the researchers analyze quality of facilitation; accessible and transparent use of online tools; breadth and diversity of the evidence and stakeholders; quality of judgement; knowledge gains by members; accessibility and equality of opportunity to speak; respect and mutual comprehension; free decision making and response; respect for members’ privacy; and quality of facilitation. While there are overwhelmingly positive findings in each of these facets, it is notable that there were stark gender imbalances in facilitator and notetaker roles.[xxxvi] Further, the group’s reflection surveys found that most changes of mind were the product of being more informed through small groups discussions and personal stories which cultivated empathy. One interviewee from Suiter’s research attested to the importance of empathy: “You could actually see somebody, if you were talking, and they were generally surprised about the way you thought about it. And they had never thought about it that way. Once or twice that happened. You live in somebody else’s shoes and you see where they are coming from. You understand the way they feel. That sense was there.”[xxxvii]
While the success of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality has led to the creation of two new Citizens’ Assemblies in 2022 on biodiversity loss and the Dublin government,[xxxviii] there has been concern that these assemblies have not been resulting in meaningful legislative changes, instigating conversation on how to best structure assembly processes in the future.[xxxix]
See Also
The 1st Sitting of the Irish Assembly: the Eighth Amendment
The 2nd Sitting of the Irish Citizens' Assembly: Responding to an Ageing Population
References
[i] Áine Travers, “THE POLICY ON GENDER EQUALITY IN IRELAND,” Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, 2012, 18.
[ii] Henry McDonald, Emma Graham-Harrison, and Sinead Baker, “Ireland Votes by Landslide to Legalise Abortion,” The Guardian, May 26, 2018, sec. World news, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/26/ireland-votes-by-landslide-to-legalise-abortion.
[iii] Laura Fletcher, “Citizens’ Assembly Begins Hearings on Gender Equality,” February 15, 2020, https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0215/1115491-citizens-assembly/.
[iv] Michelle Hennessy, “Are We There yet? The Good Information Project Focuses on Gender Equality,” TheJournal.ie, accessed April 18, 2022, https://www.thejournal.ie/the-good-information-project-gender-equality-5645631-Jan2022/.
[v] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 22.
[vi] Ibid, p. 102.
[vii] “Citizens’ Assembly 2016 - 2018,” accessed April 18, 2022, https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2016-2018-citizens-assembly/citizens-assembly-2016-2018-.html.
[viii] “Convention on the Constitution,” accessed April 18, 2022, https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2013-2014-convention-on-the-constitution/convention-on-the-constitution.html.
[ix] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 22.
[x] Michelle Hennessy, “‘We’re Falling Very Far Short’: Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality to Start Work in Autumn,” TheJournal.ie, accessed April 18, 2022, https://www.thejournal.ie/citizens-assembley-on-gender-4679018-Jun2019/.
[xi] Ronan McGreevy, “Women ‘Far from Achieving Gender Equality’, Says Citizens’ Assembly,” The Irish Times, accessed April 18, 2022, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/women-far-from-achieving-gender-equality-says-citizens-assembly-1.4383153.
[xii] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, 8-10.
[xiii] Ibid, 27-29.
[xiv] Laura Fletcher, “Citizens’ Assembly Begins Hearings on Gender Equality,” February 15, 2020, https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0215/1115491-citizens-assembly/.
[xv] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 35.
[xvi] “Procurement and Costs,” accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/procurement-and-costs/procurement-and-costs.html.
[xvii] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 27-29.
[xviii] Ibid.
[xix] “Citizens’ Assembly – Participedia,” accessed March 6, 2022, https://participedia.net/method/4258.
[xx] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 31.
[xxi] Ibid, 32.
[xxii] Ibid, 30.
[xxiii] Ibid, 8-10.
[xxiv] Ibid, 12-20.
[xxv] “Progress on Gender Equality Wanted ‘Urgently,’” accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/progress-on-gender-equality-wanted-urgently-1.4817888.
[xxvi] “‘Stereotyping and Resistance to Change’ among Obstacles to Gender Equality,” independent, accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/stereotyping-and-resistance-to-change-among-obstacles-to-gender-equality-41406917.html.
[xxvii] “Report on the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.” The Citizens' Assembly, June 2021. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/about-the-citizens-assembly/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf, p. 84-85.
[xxviii] Houses of the Oireachtas, “Committee on Gender Equality – 33rd Dáil, 26th Seanad – Houses of the Oireachtas,” text, January 12, 2022, Ireland, https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/33/gender-equality.
[xxix] “‘Stereotyping and Resistance to Change’ among Obstacles to Gender Equality,” independent, accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/stereotyping-and-resistance-to-change-among-obstacles-to-gender-equality-41406917.html.
[xxx] “Home,” accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/.
[xxxi] Colm Walsh, “Not All Citizens’ Assemblies Are Created Equal,” sec. ireland, accessed April 19, 2022, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/not-all-citizens-assemblies-are-created-equal-6c9k00xzr.
[xxxii] Suiter, Jane et al. “Evaluation Report of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Gender.” Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/previous-assemblies/2020-2021-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality/news-publications/publications/independent-researchers-report-on-the-process.pdf, 4.
[xxxiii] Ibid, 32.
[xxxiv] Ibid, 10-12.
[xxxv] Ibid.
[xxxvi] Ibid, 14.
[xxxvii] Ibid, 17.
[xxxviii] “Home,” accessed March 6, 2022, https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/.
[xxxix] David Farrell, “We May Have Overdone It on Citizens’ Assemblies,” The Irish Times, accessed April 19, 2022, https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/we-may-have-overdone-it-on-citizens-assemblies-1.4803375.
External Links
Irish Citizens' Assembly Official Website
Irish Citizen's Assembly on Gender Official Website