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@empirical in Ireland ‘fallen women’, which meant pregnant single women, were incarcerated in a catholic establishment, a laundry, forced to work, were punished, had their hair cut and their babies taken away.

@empirical You might want to watch the movie ‘Philomena’ starring Judi Dench, based on a real life story.

@Cassiopeia Do you think that the oppression of the Irish by the catholic church in the past is what has made them so much more progressive in their politics today? eg gay marriage

@MsDemeanour I don't believe they are more progressive, not when it comes to womens' rights. Abortion is still illegal. Ireland is still a much more patriarchal country than other western countries. They are mostly caught up but, of course, the church holds much less sway in politics these days.

Things are obviously considerably better now but he seventies were not so long ago,here's some things that women in Ireland could not do in the 70s:

1. Keep their jobs in the public service or in a bank once they married
   Women who worked in the civil service had to resign from their jobs when they became wives.

2. Sit on a jury. Any Irish citizen who sat on a jury had to be property owners according to the 1927 Juries Act, thus excluding the majority of women.

3. Buy contraceptives
   According to the 1935 Criminal Law Amendment Act, the import, sale, and distribution of contraceptives were illegal. As a result, the majority of women had no access to contraceptives, apart from the Pill which was sometimes prescribed as a "cycle regulator."

4. Drink in a pub
   During the 1970s, most bars refused to allow women to enter a pub. Those who allowed women to enter generally did not serve females pints of beer.

5. Collect their Children’s Allowance
   In 1944, the legislation that introduced the payment of child benefits to parents specified they could only be paid to the father.

6. Women were unable to get a restraining order against a violent partner

7. Before 1976 they were unable to own their home outright.

8. Women could not refuse to have sex with their husband. A husband had the right to have sex with his wife and consent was not an issue in the eyes of the law.

9. Choose her official place of residence. Once married, a woman was deemed to have the same "domicile" as her husband.

10. Women could not get the same pay for jobs as men. In March 1970, the average hourly pay for women was five shillings, while that for men was over nine. The majority of women were paid less than male counterparts. This is still a current issue worldwide.

@Cassiopeia thanks for that comprehensive reply. And yes there is still much work to be done throughout the world. This is why it appalls me when the young say there is no need for feminism. I'll believe I have equality when the female voice holds as much power throughout the world as mens; when I feel my sex is represented equally in parliament. My country taxes 'essential items like sun screen and condoms but not women's sanitary items. Those are still considered luxury items. I say we should give them away and bleed on all the public trains buses, cinemas, work places. Those squeamish men would soon delete the tax.

If you pray to something, it makes it a god. Praying to the father, the avatar (son--living presence on Earth), the holy spirit (this is a weird one), and the devil (praying save me from the devil counts), I'd same the minimum of gods the Christians have is 4, not 1.