There are many issues I could speak about today. I could speak about violence against women, which is still far too prevalent. I could speak about how women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds continue to face disproportionate disadvantage or about how caring role and professions traditionally carried out by women remained undervalued in our society. I could speak about the gender pay gap, which many companies continue to try and hide on websites. I could speak about the tsunami of research that shows women in leadership positions and diversity lead to better profitability, stronger governance and greater creativity in business. Despite that evidence, the glass ceiling remains in far too many sectors. Today, I want to focus on steps the Government could take that would genuinely help to level the playing field between men and women. When my twins were born, my husband had just started a new job and, like many families, we sat down and tried to figure out how we could make it all work. He was entitled to paternity leave but his employer would not top it up. Instead of taking that paternity leave, he took two weeks of annual leave – not because that is what we wanted but because financially we felt we had no choice. After the cost of in vitro fertilisation, IVF, and suddenly needing two of everything – very happily – those early weeks were already a huge adjustment. Taking paternity leave on a low, flat-rate payment simply was not financially realistic for us at that time. Those two weeks of holidays were almost half of his annual leave gone. This story is not unique; it is repeated in homes right across the country and it is the reality that many families are facing. When children arrive, families are making decisions in the middle of exhaustion, financial pressure and the reality of keeping a household going. Too often, the outcome is that mothers take a step back from work while fathers return quickly, not because that is what families want but because, financially, they feel they have little or no choice. That is not personal failure; that is policy failure. If we are serious about equality, we have to change that. Equality must mean equality for men as well, and fathers should have a genuine opportunity to take time out of the workplace for caring responsibilities and to spend time with their children, not just in theory but also in reality. We have 26 weeks of maternity benefit, two weeks of paternity benefit and nine weeks of parent's benefit for each parent, but those payments are all at a low, flat weekly rate of €299. For many families, that simply does not reflect the reality of their income, rent or mortgage, or the cost of living. International evidence consistently shows that Ireland ranks among the lowest in the OECD when it comes to income replacement during parental leave because our system relies on a flat rate and we are seeing the wider impact. The average number of children born to a woman in Ireland in her lifetime has now fallen to 1.47, the lowest level in more than 50 years. Families are making decisions about whether and when to have children in the context of financial pressure and a lack of support. If we are serious about equality and supporting families, we need to act. There are three practical steps we can take. The first is to increase maternity, paternity and parent's benefit payment so that families can actually afford to take the leave to which they are entitled. If we want fathers to take that leave and mothers to remain in the workforce, the payment cannot be a barrier; it has to enable parents. Second, we have to actively encourage and normalise men taking paternity and parent's leave. Currently, paternity leave is only taken by approximately 50% of men and even fewer take parent's leave, only 25% to 30%. We need public awareness campaigns. We need it to be normalised in every sector from construction to politics to business. Third, we have to set out a clear pathway towards more equal leave for mothers and fathers, which is actually taken up by both. I am not asking for this to be done overnight but there has to be a clear direction of travel and we have to see the uptake of these leaves increase. This year, child benefit spending is projected to fall by €320 million. Using some of that money to strengthen the various parental leave payments would be a practical and meaningful way to support families and advance equality. Equality cannot just be something we celebrate once a year. It has to live in the policies that shape everyday families' lives and the real choices they can make. If we get those policies right, we will support women, men and families and build a fairer future for our daughters and sons.

Sentiment score: 0.14