The influence of feminism on public policy abortion and equal pay in Australia and the Republic of Ireland

Feminism is a major force for change in late twentieth century liberal democratic political systems. This thesis is concerned with determining the factors involved in successful feminist policy intervention. It achieves this by developing a set of indicators by which to identify the presence of feminist influence and an analytical model by which to explain the influence of feminism on public policy. These are then applied to the development of abortion and equal pay policy, between the mid 1960s and the mid 1990s, in Australia and the Republic of Ireland. The model contains three factors: the material, normative and analytical aspects of feminist activity; the political, social and economic systems of national receptivity; and the intensity and scope of conflict involved with particular policy types. An examination of the lengthy history of feminist activism in Australia and Ireland contrasts a highly conflictual policy (abortion) with one which is less conflictual (equal pay); compares national variations in terms of predisposition to feminist influence; and chronicles the ebb and flow of feminist policy