Sharon Corr has attacked the music industry for still being extremely sexist.
The Corrs singer is annoyed that people focus too much on how women look – rather than their talent.
She said: “We’ve made a lot of strides in Ireland over the years towards equality between the sexes.
“But we must never take this for granted, nor forgot the women who made this possible from the suffragettes to the feminist movement.
“Our daughters will grow up with opportunities our grandmothers could only have dreamt of. Despite the many advances, women still struggle with sexism in many areas of life.
Charity: In Tanzania with Oxfam
“My own experience in the music industry has been a largely positive one, yet there is still so much more focus on woman’s appearance compared to men rather than on her talent and abilities as a performer.
“But there are many strong women both on stage and behind the scenes, along with the fans themselves, who are changing the dynamic.”
And Sharon – who is supporting Oxfam Ireland’s Heroes campaign – says her trip to Tanzania with the charity changed her world view of women.
She said: “Going to Tanzania was a truly life-changing experience. It reinforced for me the power of women to change the world.
“No matter what challenges they might face and the obstacles in their way, women will do everything they can to overcome them for the good of their family and community.”
Friend: Meeting the kids in Tanzania
And Sharon knows her mum Jean, who died of lung cancer a number of years ago, made so many sacrifices for her.
She said: “My mother was a beautiful singer and I believe if she had had half the chance she could have really reached for the stars.
“But she stayed at home and looked after us and she took great pride in that – making our clothes, cooking wonderful dinners – she did everything for us and gave us a wonderful childhood.
“She also taught us to follow our dreams. I don’t believe you can put a value on that – she gave us wings so we could fly and dreamed of great things for us and I am so glad that she saw our success.”
