Irish Women Workers’ Union – 1936

Irish Independent 15th June, 1936 p7

The Irish Women Workers’ Union has forwarded to Mr de Valera the following communication, signed by Miss L Bennett, Secretary;

My Committee has instructed me to express their grave disappointment that the Government have appointed only one woman to act on the Commission to investigate the subject of a second Chamber. They feel that this lack of adequate representation shows a lack of appreciation of the valuable work now done by many women in public life and in many important sections of the world of work. My Committee recognise that in many respects the functions and talents of women give them special interests and a special point of view in human affairs, and it is this fact which makes it particularly urgent to give women opportunities to help in the moulding and in the direction of the national life.

You have entrusted to this Second Chamber Commission the duty of endeavouring to add to the framework of the State an instrument which could vitally influence its development. For such a task it would surely be valuable to have the viewpoint of the nation’s women strongly represented.

The Constitution of An Saorstat is based on the principle of equal status and responsibility for all citizens. My Committee beg that you will put this principle into practice in the case of the Commission and set a headline for the composition of the Second Chamber by giving women more generous representation than one in 23 members