Work and family

Five submissions discussed gender equality in the labour market (NCCWN, DAFM, Ibec, CIB and ICTU). ICTU, NCCWN and Ibec discussed gender pay gaps. ICTU recommended that the Government enact legislation to combat the ‘gender pay and pensions gap’, while Ibec recommended investment in ECCE and other forms of childcare to combat “forced absence from the labour market”. Ibec argued that this can incur a “motherhood penalty” that undermines women’s opportunities to accumulate “human capital”, thereby contributing to a gender pay gap.

Four submissions referenced lone parent families and note that the majority of such families are headed by women (NCCWN, Aontas, SJI and the DSP). Three of these submissions referenced poverty within these families, including the NCCWN’s submission which discussed a number of crosscutting socio-economic and gender issues:

The burden of managing poverty is usually carried more by women, including unpaid care work. Families headed by a lone parent are consistently and significantly more likely to be living in poverty and deprivation. The income of women in paid employment continues to be significantly less than that of men. In addition, the concentration of women in part-time and low paid work is of concern to NCCWN.

Four submissions discussed care work and other domestic labour carried out by women. The NCCWN suggested that the DCEDIY consider that “lack of access to resources impacts negatively on women’s lives”. FP, in their submission, argued that the rights of women with a “poor record of employment in the Irish state (often due to their role as homemaker)” are not fully recognised, which “subsequently undermines their ability to live independent lives and leave abusive relationships”. The CIB recommended that more is done to combat gender stereotypes, particularly regarding “care provision in the home”. CIB recommended the promotion of “positive gender stereotypes” and “more focus on creating family-friendly work environments which promote flexible working and which value men’s as well as women’s roles in childcare”.