The National Womens Council of Ireland

The National Women’s Council of Ireland
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Introduction
Before the emergence of feminism movement, women’s rights were overlooked in virtually all societies. There appeared to be a unilateral form of thinking where women were considered subordinate to their male counterparts. There are a number of rights that men at the time enjoyed over the women. Women were not happy with the status quo. In mid 1940s, women began to voice their concerns albeit with low tones. They faced a lot of resistance and were branded as hardcore who south to derail women from their destined lifestyle. By the mid 1960s, the women movement in different parts of the world had become more vocal and it became apparent that they were unstoppable (Brettel, 2012). It was an idea whose time had or probably was long overdue.
Although the nature of challenges that women experienced across different parts of the world were pretty similar, there are certain challenges that were specific and unique to each region. This led to formation of feminist groups that would help position the women to fight for their rights. In Ireland the formation of National Women’s Council was a milestone that was meant to give women some leverage. This discussion will focus on the National Women’s Council of Ireland as an organization. Among the areas of focus include the activities of the organization, tools used to push the agenda and what they seek to advocate.
Formation and Location
National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCF) was initially known as Council for Status of Women (CSW). The goal was to help women rise to the level of their male counterparts in terms of enjoying their rights. It is under this organization that some rights of women came to be realized. For instance, previously, the law in Ireland required that women who had formal jobs relinquished their positions when they got married. This would be soon revised after the government bowed to pressure from the CSW movement. By late 70s the government of Ireland had recognized the movement and began to offer grants to strengthen the curse of champing for women rights. 20 years ago in 1995, the organization was rebranded and became what is now National Women’s Council of Ireland. The organization has undergone tremendous growth over the years to include in its umbrella various groups of women. Although the organization has its basis in Ireland, it has managed to have an impact internationally with some of its members being from beyond the borders.
Issues Addressed
From the background herein above, it is clear that the agenda of the National Women’s Council of Ireland is to champion for the rights of women. The organization seeks to ensure a fair platform that would accommodate women just as much as their male counterparts. Some of the core activities of the organization include promoting for equality of men and women especially in the arena of decision making. Further the organization seeks to use a policy and issue-based approach as opposed to a gender based approach. One agenda that the organization has sought to push is to create an understanding of feminism which has been largely misunderstood. For many, feminism is movement that encourages women to want to be like the men in society. That wrong notion creates an aspect of competition between men and women. Feminism is hence framed as vice in society that seeks to emasculate women thereby removing men from their rightful place. Due to such misplaced notion, this organization has sought to clarify positions so that feminism is not equated to completion by women against men. It is not a case of women seeking to outdo men. Rather, it is a situation that seeks to bring back what is supposed to be their rightful place. This means they are given an equal platform to air their views, give their opinions and make decisions (Peach, 2007). The organization also seeks to encourage more women to assume leadership positions. Over the years, positions of leadership, political or otherwise have largely been dominated by men. The very structure of organizations and social construction of society has made it extremely difficult for women to rise to positions of leadership. Part of the agenda of the organization is to encourage women to take up position previously reserved for men.
Another very important aspect that the organization has endeavored to do is to steer women empowerment. For a long time, women have been made to feel inferior and have sort of come to accept the playing second fiddle. As a result, there is an element of enslavement of the mind where even women themselves do not see their potential. This organization has set out structures aimed at reversing this mindset (Cook, 2010). Helping women crawl out of the cocoon in which they have been thrust by society. It is a very difficult journey to change their minds but it has gradually been possible. The organization has brought on board hundreds of women whose minds have been transformed. Through this transformation, women can now appreciate their strength and potential so that they can rise and take up their rightful paces in society.
Ways to Address Issues
In full recognition of the unique nature of challenges experienced by different women across the board, the organization has come up with various ways of addressing each of them. Open forums is one of the ways that NWCF has adopted. This is where they encourage women from different regions to speak openly about the challenges they face. In most cases, it has been found that women suffer in silence either due to intimidation or assumption of non-action by the government. However, with the existence of this organization, women now have recourse and can confidently speak about the issues that they face. The organization has also pushed for women empowerment by seeking their inclusion in politics, policy making and on economic matters. Women not only have the desire but also the potential to [participate actively in matters of national development (Peach, 2007). However, owing to the structuring of the society, they have not had much of a chance.
Awareness Creation
One main activity through which the impact of NWCF is felt i...