The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is a representative organisation for women and women's groups in Ireland. It was originally known as the Council for the Status of Women.

Policies

The mission of the NWCI is to achieve women's equality and empower women to work together to remove inequalities. It says it represents some 300,000 women in the Republic of Ireland. The NWCI has worked progressively to deepen and broaden its membership base to represent a broad range of women's interests in Ireland. It was and is instrumental in setting the agenda for women's rights in Ireland. Alongside other organisations it advocated against austerity measures aimed at lone parents and other vulnerable groups of women. The NWCI experienced significant cuts in funding over the period of austerity. In recent times the NWCI has particularly focused on issues including women's mental health, violence and holding the Irish government to account through the CEDAW process. In November 2020, on Trans Day of Remembrance, the National Women's Council of Ireland and

Amnesty International Ireland Amnesty International Ireland (commonly known as Amnesty and AI) is the Irish branch of the international non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, Amnesty International. One of its founding members was German Abwehr agent Helmut C ...

co-signed a statement along with a number of LGBT+ and human rights groups condemning

trans-exclusionary feminism Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely. Third-wave feminists and fourth-wave feminists tend to view the struggle for trans rights as an integral part of intersectional feminism. Former president of the American National Organization f ...

. The letter called upon the media and politicians "to no longer provide legitimate representation for those that share bigoted beliefs, that are aligned with far right ideologies and seek nothing but harm and division" and stated that "these fringe internet accounts stand against affirmative medical care of transgender people, and they stand against the right to self-identification of transgender people in this country. In summation they stand against trans, women’s and gay rights by aligning themselves with far right tropes and stances."

History

In 1973 a group of feminists, chaired by

Hilda Tweedy Hilda Tweedy, ''née'' Anderson (1911–2005) was an Irish women's rights activist. A founding member and leader of the Irish Housewives' Association (IHA), she was active for decades advocating for the rights of women on a diverse number of iss ...

of the

Irish Housewives Association The Irish Housewives Association (IHA) was an influential pressure group founded in 1942 to speak out about injustices and the needs of Irish women, inside and outside the home.Hilda Tweedy obituary, ''Irish Times'', 9 July 2005. The organization c ...

, set up the Council for the Status of Women, with the goal of gaining equality for women. It was an umbrella body for women's groups.

Rosaleen Mills Rosaleen Mills (16 July 1905 – 17 September 1993) was an Irish activist and educator. Early life and education Rosaleen Mills was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway on 16 July 1905. She was the fourth of the five children of John and Rosetta ...

served as the first as vice chair, succeeding Tweedy as chair in 1976. During the 1990s the council's activities included supporting projects funded by the

European Social Fund The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs), which are dedicated to improving social cohesion and economic well-being across the regions of the Union. The funds are redistributive financ ...

, and running Women and Leadership Programmes and forums. In 1995, following a strategic review, it changed its name to the National Women's Council of Ireland.

External links

Official website

References

{{reflist Women's organisations based in Ireland Organizations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Ireland

Policies

History

See also

External links

References