A dual referendum in Ireland on redefining family and women’s roles in the constitution has been defeated, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in Dublin on Saturday. The government had supported the proposed changes, which would have widened the definition of the family and clarified the duties of women in society. The votes are the latest bid to reflect the changing face of European Union member Ireland, and the waning influence of the once-dominant Catholic Church.
The first proposal sought to expand the definition of family from those founded on marriage to include “durable relationships” such as cohabiting couples and their children. The second proposed replacing old-fashioned language around a mother’s “duties in the home” with a clause recognising care given by family members to one another. The Irish constitution can only be modified through a referendum.