The Government will not proceed with the Gender Equality Referendum this November until there is agreement on a "settled wording", the Minister for Finance has said.
The referendum is due to take place at the end of November and a wording was due to be agreed by mid-May.
The Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality and a subsequent Oireachtas committee recommended a three-pronged referendum.
Remove gendered language referring to women in the home; ensure the role of care is supported; and create a more inclusive definition of family - moving away from the constitutional definition of the family based on marriage.
Michael McGrath said work is ongoing and the Government does expect there will be a further meeting of the senior officials group next month, adding that the Government will receive an update from the officials as to the "state of readiness".
"But I think one lesson we have learned from referenda in the past is the importance of having the groundwork fully done and engaging in a good public debate over a period of time so that all the issues involved are fully understood and ventilated," Mr McGrath said.
"We stand ready to proceed with the referendum once there is agreement on the wording, but I do think the most important thing is to get it right and not to end up rushing it and put at risk the outcome we would like to see, which would be a successful one."
Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney said it is too early to say that it would not go ahead.
He said the Government is "absolutely" committed to this referendum, adding: "We do need to get the wording right."
"What you don't want going into a referendum like this is confusion around what people are being asked to make a decision on," Mr Coveney said.
"So, we need enough time to be able to campaign properly so that people are very clear on what they're voting on to get a successful outcome."
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said he is "unsure of exactly where Government is on this at the moment".
"It would be good if this could take place in November, but it's also important that it takes place when it's ready to take place," he said.
"In other words, that all of the work that is necessary to be done is done. And I suppose Government will have to make a determination on that shortly," he said.
The Electoral Commission, which will run the information campaign on any referendum, has said it will need 14 to 16 weeks to prepare a proper campaign.
If the referendum does not go ahead in November, the next most suitable date would be early spring 2024.
In an open letter to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week, the National Women's Council, One Family, SIPTU, Family Carers Ireland and Treoir said time is needed for a national conversation on the Family, Care, and Gender Equality referendum.
Three months after the wording was due to be finalised the five groups said they are worried the delay could signal a Government "backtrack" and are calling for "urgent clarification".
