Varadkar ‘mortified’ by times he has failed to recognise misogyny

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said said he feels “mortified” by times he has failed to recognise misogyny.

The Tánaiste said a number of behaviours such as sexist jokes, assumptions about gender roles and leaving women out when decisions are being made add up to create a “culture of sexism”.

“I know from talking to my friends, my sisters and women I work with, how bad things can be, and the barriers that still exist. I also know that many times I don’t see [misogyny] unless it is pointed out to me by the women in my life,” he said.

“When they do, I feel mortified that it wasn’t obvious to me. But as a gay man and a person of colour, I can understand how they feel and also why people can lack awareness or insight without being malicious or even realising it.”

He said changes must be made to make Ireland a better and safer place to be a woman.

Writing in the Irish Sun today, Mr Varadkar questioned how we can live in a society where violent crimes are perpetrated against women.

“Most men are not violent towards women, but when a woman is a victim of violence, the perpetrator is almost always male. How can we live in a society where such ­horrors are perpetrated?” he wrote.

“The truth, of course, almost always comes back to how women are treated in general, and how they have been treated over the centuries. In other words, to misogyny.

“Whether we care to admit it or not, almost all men are capable of misogyny. We are a product of the society we live in, how we were brought up and how the other men around us behave.”

His piece comes amid a number of reports of violence against women in recent weeks. 

Varadkar said men “have to change” and call out sexist behaviours in order to make Ireland and the world a “safer” place to be a woman.

“Sometimes, it’s just the ‘little things’ — sexist jokes, assumptions about gender roles at home or at work, leaving women out when decisions are being made, gendered language or tokenism. Those little things add up to big things — a culture of sexism,” he said.

“So, we have to change, and men do especially. By making changes in our daily lives, we can make Ireland, and the world, a better and safer place to be a woman.

“It means saying stop when women are interrupted or overlooked in conversations. It means changing our behaviour online. It means focusing on what women have achieved, rather than how they look. And we cannot tolerate blatantly sexist humour.

“Above all, it means trying to see the world from the viewpoint of women and girls.”