Role Of Women In Irish History

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Essay Title: ‘For much of the twentieth century Irish women were treated as second class citizens’. Discuss. Irish history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was dominated by the issues of nationalism and land, with men at the centre of it all. However, as the saying goes “behind every successful man is a great woman” than it is obvious that there is another narrative that has to be explored, particularly in the 20th century – the lives, role and status of Irish women. As recent as the 1990's Ireland had the reputation of being a sexually repressed country, where women were second class citizens and the Catholic Church ruled virtually unchallenged. But over the years this view has changed. Why so? Is it because of EU inspired liberalisation or is it, as feminists would tell us, solely because of the emergence of 'the women's movement'? Moreover, is it changes in capitalism that has led to the changes in women's lives, the family and attitudes to sex and sexuality? Crucial to a determination of the status of women in Ireland is an examination of the choices available to them regarding marriage, education, work, emigration and their involvement in politics. At the beginning of the 20th century family life in Ireland was determined by class and economic factors. Pre Famine women were expected to stay at home and rear children. Most women married young. In a society which provided few work opportunities poorer women saw marriage as a haven from destitution. For the poor, marriage allowed the development of an interdependent unit whose members supported each other economically and emotionally.[1] Large families were common. Motherhood conferred high status on married women and it dominated their lives. [2] However, for some, motherhood imposed financial and emotional burdens. Those lucky enough to be able to afford to hire 'help' were relieved of the
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