Ирландцы отказались убирать из конституции пассаж о роли женщин, заботящихся о домохозяйстве, и считать семьей союзы на основе не только брака, но и других долгосрочных отношений.
В Ireland, the majority of the 3.5 million citizens with voting rights have spoken out against making changes to the constitutionally defined «family» and removing the passage about the role of women in caring for the household in the Basic Law. The final results of this dual referendum were announced on the night of Sunday, March 10th: 67.7% of participants voted against the first initiative, and 73.9% voted against the second.
According to Article 41 of the Irish Constitution adopted in 1937, the «family» is considered the «natural, primary, and fundamental unit of society.» It was proposed to amend this wording to include the phrase: «Family — regardless of whether it is based on marriage or other long-term relationships.» Critics of such an amendment pointed out the vagueness of such phrasing. Some even believed that it would legalize polygyny and polyandry at the constitutional level and encourage an influx of migrants to Ireland seeking to reunite with their «families.»
As for the role of women in society, the participants of the referendum held on March 8th rejected the idea of removing from the constitution the words stating that «a woman, through her life within the home, is a pillar upon which the state is built, without which the common good cannot be achieved.»
Ireland’s Prime Minister on the referendum results
The head of the Irish government, Leo Varadkar, acknowledged the failure of his cabinet’s initiatives. «Our responsibility was to convince the majority of people to vote ‘yes,’ and we clearly suffered a defeat,» he said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition party Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, pointed out that the referendums failed because the government did not consult with the opposition and «other interest groups» before conducting them. She expressed regret that the government «acted alone» and «got its answer.»
