Skip to main content
Donate to the 95 years appeal
Decades of church and state repression of women
The COMMUNIST PARTY of IRELAND on the release of a report into the deaths of 9,000 children in institutions for unmarried mothers and their babies
POIGNANT: Protesters wear baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland

THE publication of the report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, cataloguing the horrendous abuse and exploitation handed out to tens of thousands of women over the decades by religious institutions — of both main religious faiths — lays bare the violence and repressive attitudes that have been inflicted on women in general here in Ireland.

Those forces that secured their victory and established the Irish Free State were more than willing to hand over many critical services that the people needed to religious orders, including health and education and much more, creating a culture of dependence and fear.

The state and the Establishment parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail built a close relationship with the Catholic Church in particular to ensure the social and political stability of the state and to maintain the economic and political status quo.

This was a war against working people, the urban and rural poor, and, in particular, against women. 

Women who had played a central role in the struggle for our freedom were driven from that central role; they were seen as too big a threat to the established social and moral order.

Both the state and the church institutionalised patriarchal and misogynist values and practices at all levels of society. 

The consolidation of church power allowed the Establishment to hide behind this power. 

Both church and state instituted a reign of repression of working people. 

The oppression of women was the means to achieve this: it did not happen by accident but was a deliberate policy, designed to narrow and control the aspirations of workers and in particular of women.

Those who stood up and resisted were driven from their jobs and homes and in many cases had to emigrate. 

The various governments that have ruled this state were happy to oversee a “Catholic state” and equally to allow unionism to rule unchallenged in their little religious sectarian enclave in the Six Counties. 

The state, governments and bosses all benefited from the oppression of women and working people.

Religion and the abuse of sincerely held religious views by the Establishment is nothing new and is still a potent weapon of division and oppression around the world. 

At the centre of that oppression are women, in particular working women.

The publication of this report is a result of the campaigning and indeed sacrifices by thousands of working people down the decades. 

They did not bend the knee nor fear attack from the pulpits. Around the country and in towns and cities some people had the courage to stand up. 

Included among these courageous people were many communists and radical republican allies, who stood firm, speaking out in our publications, in our communities and trade unions, actively opposing these reactionary forces, many paying a very heavy price for doing so, such people as Jim Gralton in Co Leitrim, Frank Edwards, Esther McGregor, and many more of our comrades.

The political and economic Establishment can now shed crocodile tears about what happened in the past, but they cannot escape the fact that they are just as culpable as the established churches.

Visit the Communist Party of Ireland’s website at www.communistpartyofireland.ie.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
A family in their encampment in the ruins of their home amid
Features / 10 February 2025
10 February 2025
Communist Party of Ireland statement on Palestine and the international anti-imperial struggle
Activists protest outside the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Dev
Features / 10 December 2024
10 December 2024
With the Green Party’s electoral wipeout and far-right’s failure, the traditional defenders of the ruling class maintain in control, and the multiple crises our nation faces remain unaddressed, explains the COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND
Features / 16 March 2020
16 March 2020
A statement from the COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND
Similar stories
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: Female and male students of Amirkabir Un
International Women's Day 2025 / 8 March 2025
8 March 2025
Despite the harsh conditions they face, Iranian women have proved to be vanguards in the struggle for fundamental changes in our country, says Dr AZAR SEPEHR
Activists protest outside the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Dev
Features / 10 December 2024
10 December 2024
With the Green Party’s electoral wipeout and far-right’s failure, the traditional defenders of the ruling class maintain in control, and the multiple crises our nation faces remain unaddressed, explains the COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND
GIVING PRAISE: General view of a crucifix in the scissor arc
Features / 27 August 2024
27 August 2024
TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK explores the overlaps between the ideas of Christ and Karl Marx in seeking a better world for the poor and downtrodden
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensi
Features / 27 July 2024
27 July 2024
We must remember that the Israel-Palestine conflict is not a religious one, between Jews and Muslims – it is a struggle of the oppressed Palestinian people against a 75-year occupation of their lands, says PRAKASH KARAT