Ireland’s government held two constitutional referendums on International Women’s Day 2024.
Both votes took place on 8 March 2024. One proposed changing the constitutional definition of the family to include durable relationships outside marriage. The other proposed replacing language about women’s “life within the home” and mothers’ domestic duties with a gender-neutral provision recognizing care within the family.
The votes were linked to a wider debate about equality, family life, and the wording of Ireland’s Constitution. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had used International Women’s Day in 2023 to announce plans for constitutional change, but the eventual proposals focused on family and care rather than a broad gender-equality amendment.
Voters rejected both proposals. The Family referendum recorded 67.69% voting No, while the Care referendum recorded 73.93% voting No. The event is sometimes described simply as an equality referendum, but it was formally two separate constitutional amendment votes.