Women should have the choice as to whether or not they want to go to work, a psychiatry professor has said.
A new poll has found more than two-thirds of mothers (69%) with children under the age of 18 would prefer to stay at home with their children rather than go out to work if they could afford it.
The Amárach research for The Iona Institute also found that 76% of mothers said that women who work in the home are undervalued by society compared with women who work outside the home.
Over 70% of mothers do not feel valued by society for their work as mothers, it found.
Two referendums are taking place on March 8th on references to family and the role of women in the home.
The first would amend Article 41 to "provide for a wider concept of Family" in the Constitution.
The second would delete Article 41.2 to remove the reference to the role of women in the home and insert a new Article 42B to recognise family care.
A woman votes at a ballot box in Dublin in 2015. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.iePatron of the Iona Institute and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UCD Patricia Casey told The Pat Kenny Show of her concerns for the upcoming vote.
"The current wording is about giving woman choice whether to go out to work or not," she said.
"This [referendum] is not about the Constitution saying woman's place is in the home.
"What is says is women should not be forced out to work by economic necessity.
"I think stating in the Constitution that women have a choice whether they should or should not work go out to work is a very good thing."
'Noble aspiration'
Prof Casey said she believes removing the choice may not be a positive step.
"We see in this poll that women feel undervalued," she said.
"Taking out that choice, and flowing from that is that women should be working, that is going to reenforce women's sense that they're not adequately valued.
"There is nobody standing up for women among the NGOs or in politics - it is all about getting women out to work.
"I say that as a woman who worked all my professional life, apart from a brief period when I took a sabbatical.
"We're now in a situation where women have to go out to work and the aspiration that if they want to they can stay at home is a very noble one in my opinion".
Prof Casey said there are benefits to staying-at-home for women.
"Several aspects of case law show that it actually does confer benefits on women in the areas of maintenance, taxation and desertion.
"Judge Finlay in 1992 used that as an argument to pay women maintenance when marriages broke up," she added.
'Sexist language'
Among those calling for a Yes vote in both referendums is the National Women's Council.
NWC Director Orla O'Connor said the language needs to be modernised.
"March 8th is an opportunity to remove sexist language from our Constitution and replace it with a much-needed acknowledgement of care and the important contribution of both men and women to care within the home.
"A Yes vote shows that as a society, we value care, we want it recognised in the Constitution and we want the State to do more the support the provision of care.
"It is also an opportunity to update the definition of family, so that not only married ones are recognised and protected in our Constitution.
"A Yes/Yes vote creates a fairer, more equal Ireland where all families and children are valued equally, care work within the home is explicitly recognized, and a greater obligation is put on the State to support that care," she added.
