diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 55be9d2f9..5df81cc3a 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ EXTRA_DIST += 			\
 	HACKING			\
 	autogen.sh		\
 	Makefile.decl		\
-	mkinstalldirs		\
 	makefile.msc		\
 	msvc_recommended_pragmas.h \
 	config.h.win32.in	\
@@ -98,10 +97,6 @@ endif
 
 $(pkgconfig_DATA): config.status
 
-# install mkinstalldirs for glib-gettextize's benefit
-gettextdir = $(datadir)/glib-2.0/gettext
-gettext_SCRIPTS = mkinstalldirs
-
 # build documentation when doing distcheck
 DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-debug --enable-gtk-doc --enable-man --disable-maintainer-mode
 
diff --git a/mkinstalldirs b/mkinstalldirs
deleted file mode 100755
index 55d537f87..000000000
--- a/mkinstalldirs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,162 +0,0 @@
-#! /bin/sh
-# mkinstalldirs --- make directory hierarchy
-
-scriptversion=2009-04-28.21; # UTC
-
-# Original author: Noah Friedman <friedman@prep.ai.mit.edu>
-# Created: 1993-05-16
-# Public domain.
-#
-# This file is maintained in Automake, please report
-# bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org> or send patches to
-# <automake-patches@gnu.org>.
-
-nl='
-'
-IFS=" ""	$nl"
-errstatus=0
-dirmode=
-
-usage="\
-Usage: mkinstalldirs [-h] [--help] [--version] [-m MODE] DIR ...
-
-Create each directory DIR (with mode MODE, if specified), including all
-leading file name components.
-
-Report bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org>."
-
-# process command line arguments
-while test $# -gt 0 ; do
-  case $1 in
-    -h | --help | --h*)         # -h for help
-      echo "$usage"
-      exit $?
-      ;;
-    -m)                         # -m PERM arg
-      shift
-      test $# -eq 0 && { echo "$usage" 1>&2; exit 1; }
-      dirmode=$1
-      shift
-      ;;
-    --version)
-      echo "$0 $scriptversion"
-      exit $?
-      ;;
-    --)                         # stop option processing
-      shift
-      break
-      ;;
-    -*)                         # unknown option
-      echo "$usage" 1>&2
-      exit 1
-      ;;
-    *)                          # first non-opt arg
-      break
-      ;;
-  esac
-done
-
-for file
-do
-  if test -d "$file"; then
-    shift
-  else
-    break
-  fi
-done
-
-case $# in
-  0) exit 0 ;;
-esac
-
-# Solaris 8's mkdir -p isn't thread-safe.  If you mkdir -p a/b and
-# mkdir -p a/c at the same time, both will detect that a is missing,
-# one will create a, then the other will try to create a and die with
-# a "File exists" error.  This is a problem when calling mkinstalldirs
-# from a parallel make.  We use --version in the probe to restrict
-# ourselves to GNU mkdir, which is thread-safe.
-case $dirmode in
-  '')
-    if mkdir -p --version . >/dev/null 2>&1 && test ! -d ./--version; then
-      echo "mkdir -p -- $*"
-      exec mkdir -p -- "$@"
-    else
-      # On NextStep and OpenStep, the 'mkdir' command does not
-      # recognize any option.  It will interpret all options as
-      # directories to create, and then abort because '.' already
-      # exists.
-      test -d ./-p && rmdir ./-p
-      test -d ./--version && rmdir ./--version
-    fi
-    ;;
-  *)
-    if mkdir -m "$dirmode" -p --version . >/dev/null 2>&1 &&
-       test ! -d ./--version; then
-      echo "mkdir -m $dirmode -p -- $*"
-      exec mkdir -m "$dirmode" -p -- "$@"
-    else
-      # Clean up after NextStep and OpenStep mkdir.
-      for d in ./-m ./-p ./--version "./$dirmode";
-      do
-        test -d $d && rmdir $d
-      done
-    fi
-    ;;
-esac
-
-for file
-do
-  case $file in
-    /*) pathcomp=/ ;;
-    *)  pathcomp= ;;
-  esac
-  oIFS=$IFS
-  IFS=/
-  set fnord $file
-  shift
-  IFS=$oIFS
-
-  for d
-  do
-    test "x$d" = x && continue
-
-    pathcomp=$pathcomp$d
-    case $pathcomp in
-      -*) pathcomp=./$pathcomp ;;
-    esac
-
-    if test ! -d "$pathcomp"; then
-      echo "mkdir $pathcomp"
-
-      mkdir "$pathcomp" || lasterr=$?
-
-      if test ! -d "$pathcomp"; then
-	errstatus=$lasterr
-      else
-	if test ! -z "$dirmode"; then
-	  echo "chmod $dirmode $pathcomp"
-	  lasterr=
-	  chmod "$dirmode" "$pathcomp" || lasterr=$?
-
-	  if test ! -z "$lasterr"; then
-	    errstatus=$lasterr
-	  fi
-	fi
-      fi
-    fi
-
-    pathcomp=$pathcomp/
-  done
-done
-
-exit $errstatus
-
-# Local Variables:
-# mode: shell-script
-# sh-indentation: 2
-# eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp)
-# time-stamp-start: "scriptversion="
-# time-stamp-format: "%:y-%02m-%02d.%02H"
-# time-stamp-time-zone: "UTC"
-# time-stamp-end: "; # UTC"
-# End:
diff --git a/po/Makefile.in.in b/po/Makefile.in.in
index 53b496dc6..530910e2c 100644
--- a/po/Makefile.in.in
+++ b/po/Makefile.in.in
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ subdir = po
 
 INSTALL = @INSTALL@
 INSTALL_DATA = @INSTALL_DATA@
-MKINSTALLDIRS = $(top_srcdir)/@MKINSTALLDIRS@
+MKINSTALLDIRS = mkdir -p
 
 CC = @CC@
 GENCAT = @GENCAT@
@@ -130,11 +130,7 @@ install-exec:
 install-data: install-data-@USE_NLS@
 install-data-no: all
 install-data-yes: all
-	if test -r "$(MKINSTALLDIRS)"; then \
-	  $(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(datadir); \
-	else \
-	  $(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs $(DESTDIR)$(datadir); \
-	fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(datadir); \
 	@catalogs='$(CATALOGS)'; \
 	for cat in $$catalogs; do \
 	  cat=`basename $$cat`; \
@@ -144,11 +140,7 @@ install-data-yes: all
 	  esac; \
 	  lang=`echo $$cat | sed 's/\$(CATOBJEXT)$$//'`; \
 	  dir=$(DESTDIR)$$destdir/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES; \
-	  if test -r "$(MKINSTALLDIRS)"; then \
-	    $(MKINSTALLDIRS) $$dir; \
-	  else \
-	    $(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs $$dir; \
-	  fi; \
+	  $(MKINSTALLDIRS) $$dir; \
 	  if test -r $$cat; then \
 	    $(INSTALL_DATA) $$cat $$dir/$(GETTEXT_PACKAGE)$(INSTOBJEXT); \
 	    echo "installing $$cat as $$dir/$(GETTEXT_PACKAGE)$(INSTOBJEXT)"; \
@@ -172,11 +164,7 @@ install-data-yes: all
 	  fi; \
 	done
 	if test "$(PACKAGE)" = "glib"; then \
-	  if test -r "$(MKINSTALLDIRS)"; then \
-	    $(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(gettextsrcdir); \
-	  else \
-	    $(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs $(DESTDIR)$(gettextsrcdir); \
-	  fi; \
+	  $(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(gettextsrcdir); \
 	  $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/Makefile.in.in \
 			  $(DESTDIR)$(gettextsrcdir)/Makefile.in.in; \
 	else \