The Irish Housewives Association (IHA) was an influential pressure group founded in 1942 to speak out about injustices and the needs of Irish women, inside and outside the home.[1] The organization continued until 1992, when it dissolved itself.
The IHA was founded by Hilda Tweedy along with Andree Sheehy-Skeffington, Susan Manning, and Louie Bennett.[1] The group organized a 'Housewives Petition' sent to the Government before Budget Day in 1941. Later that year over 600 additional signatures were collected.[2] Initially known as the Irish Housewives Committee,[3] the group was formed at a meeting on 12 May 1942.[2] They initially campaigned for school meals, free travel for pensioners, and consumer protection.[1] In 1946 the organization renamed itself Irish Housewives Association.[3]
In 1947, the IHA affiliated to the International Alliance of Women.[1] Members of IHA, Beatrice Dixon and Kathleen Swanton began a campaign to have women serve on juries in Ireland. In 1957, Dixon went on to become the first women to serve on a jury.[4]
From 1954 until the early 1960s, the IHA was infiltrated and investigated by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid's Vigilance Committee for communist activity.[5]
In 1968, the IHA played a leading role in the setting up of the Council for the Status of Women (now the National Women's Council of Ireland).[1]
In 1992 the IHA dissolved itself.