For years, politicians have been facing the prospect of holding a referendum to remove outdated language which refers to women in the home from the Constitution.
Now, time for a final decision is rapidly approaching and the Government is discovering it is entering a territory littered with landmines.
This week, the Taoiseach said the Government remains committed to holding the referendum, but admitted an inter-departmental group which is working on the wording has struggled to agree on the precise question or questions to be asked.
The proposed Referendum on Article 41 has three objectives; remove gendered language referring to women and mothers; ensure the role of care is supported; and create a more inclusive definition of family.
These issues have been on the political agenda since at least 2019 when a Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality chaired by former EU Commission secretary general Catherine Day was established.
A referendum was also one of its key recommendations, so why is it so difficult to agree on a wording?
Woman in the home
Article 41 of the Constitution is all about the family and its place as a "fundamental unit of society". But the language used to describe what constitutes a family and the role of women is seen as problematic and sexist referring to women and mothers as having a "life" and "duties" within the home.
It says: "In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved."
And adds: "The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers, shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.
Both the Citizens' Assembly and the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, which published a report on the issue, called for those references to be deleted and replaced with gender neutral language which recognises and values the role of care in the home which is carried out by both men and women.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted the language is "old fashioned" saying the Government wants to replace it with "something affirmative".
This is the first challenge.
Senior sources familiar with the process admit that taking something out is much easier than inserting something new, which adds another layer of complexity.
As the Taoiseach said, the Coalition needs to make sure it gets it right "once you put wording in the Constitution, it's for the courts to decide what it means".
Family based on marriage
Another, more challenging part of this referendum is Article 41.3 where the definition of family is confined to a family based on marriage which does not reflect the more diverse nature of many family units.
It says: "The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the family is founded, and to protect it against attack."
Leo Varadkar argued "in the modern world there are lots of families that are not marital families, families led by grandparents, families led by couples that aren't married, one parent families. But we need to make sure that we get that wording right and people don't misinterpret it."
But there is a real fear that any new wording could be perceived as an attack on marriage, and this could open up a line of opposition that could be exploited in a referendum campaign.
There is also concern about the pitfalls of trying to settle on an all-inclusive definition of family.
It is understood the working group has been looking to the courts on this issue, believing that organically they have moved very far away from the 1937 constitutional expression of a 'family based on marriage' to a more diverse definition which better reflects modern life.
Culture war
Work on the constitutional amendment is still ongoing so we don’t yet know whether there will be three separate questions or one omnibus question.
Whatever the final decision there is a view that the three central planks, women in the home, care and the family based on marriage, are inextricably linked.
Those working on the wording say fundamentally no matter how the question is framed, this is a referendum rooted in gender equality.
They are taking comfort from a view that few people are likely to argue against the woman in the home clause but remain cautious about the possibility of a culture war being sparked through a debate on gender.
Conservative voices are already gearing up for a campaign citing concerns about an attack on gender and marriage.
One seasoned campaigner told RTÉ News that the Constitution is about the tone we set as a country.
They said marriage, children and the importance of parental care are all important to create a functioning society and should be championed.
There is an awareness within the inter-departmental working group on where the battle lines may be drawn in a campaign, but there is also a confidence that a referendum wording that simply reflects how we conduct our lives in the modern era will be successful.
Extraneous arguments
The Taoiseach hinted earlier this week that there is a degree of caution as "extraneous arguments" can be brought into the picture during a referendum debate.
The submissions to the Citizens' Assembly from members of the public show a broad range of views on gender equality, with many highlighting negative stereotypes which persist.
Some called for more gender-neutral toys with images of reversed roles on the packaging such as a toy kitchen with a picture of a boy on the front and a girl playing with a spaceship or truck.
There were complaints about people sometimes using negative female language, such as "throwing like a girl" or being "a big girl’s blouse."
Another submission complained of the "stereotype of useless Dads" often used as an advertising trope.
The submission argued there is a focus on the gender pay gap but not on gender hours gap, which "creates a dishonest narrative that disadvantage only runs one way".
These are not issues that will be on the ballot, but there is an awareness the wording will have to be robust to keep the debate focused.
Timeline
If the Government wants to meet its self-imposed deadline of a referendum by the end of November, a wording will have to be signed off by Cabinet in the coming weeks.
Just this week, Chief Executive of the newly formed Electoral Commission Art O’Leary told the Irish Times it would prefer 14 to 16 weeks to prepare a proper information campaign for a referendum.
Sources with knowledge of the process say they are aware the timeframe is tight, but a lot of progress has been made on getting a wording that is germane with the rest of the Constitution as well as being legally sound.
While the process is ongoing there is an intensive focus on getting a final wording ready to go before Cabinet in September.
