Our panel on: Feminism/the next generation

FEMINISM

Eilish Hardiman What is feminism to me? Equality.

Freda McGrane There is a biological difference between men and women, and sometimes absolute equality is not possible.

Ciara Brennan Feminism is looking at an issue and asking yourself, Is this a matter of concern for a man? Is this something they have as a given and I don't? And if you can't look at every situation in your life and feel that your gender is not holding you back, then you're a feminist.

Marissa Carter Being a feminist to me means not accepting any limits that anyone puts on me.

Fiona Haughney For me it's equality in the workplace; it's being able to do a job as well as a man, and being rewarded for doing that job as well as a man.

Siobhán Parkinson It's about being equal and being able to make a stand for equality without being patronised for it.

Caroline Erskine Sometimes gender becomes a minority right, but we're half of humankind, and for me feminism is working towards an acceptance of that, so it doesn't even become an issue.

THE NEXT GENERATION

Ciara Brennan We need to start legislating for families, and we need to bear in mind that what constitutes family for one person could be very different for another. We need to embrace unions, whatever form they might take.

Siobhán Parkinson The big challenge for the next generation will be financial. When there's financial pressure, everything else seems to crumble.

Ciara Brennan Reproductive rights will be a major challenge.

Siobhán Parkinson And violence against women.

Freda McGrane The big challenge for the next generation is the big challenge for every generation. It's not what you achieve but how you play the cards you've been dealt.

Eilish Hardiman Policy is the big challenge. We need more women in decision-making roles to create policies that will help women.

Fiona Haughney Speaking personally, a goal I would set for my daughter is to make her own way and not to feel thwarted or judged for whatever that is.

Marissa Carter My big goal for my children is that I don't want them to feel that their dreams or their ambitions have a limit.