Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations - Transitional ...

2. MAIN FINDINGS
The main findings of the report over the range of areas are as follows:
• The lack of gender disaggregated data in the past means that the experience of
women has been statistically invisible. Changes are in hand to compile more
complete, disaggregated statistics in the future, which will help chart progress
and highlight continuing areas of discrimination or disadvantage.
• The overriding concern of the Good Friday Agreement was the sectarian
power relationship. Women had to create their own space within that. This
dominant concern has continued throughout the implementation process.
• The Assembly voting system negatively affected the smaller parties, including
the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition.
• In spite of a commitment in the Agreement, political parties have failed to
significantly progress the participation of women in the political process.
Legislation has been ineffective, suggesting that stronger measures, and
resources are required to ensure that political parties promote women as
candidates.
• While there is no doubt that the cessation, by and large, of armed conflict has
led to a more peaceful, less violent life for communities in Northern Ireland,
the implementation of institutional reform has been slow and piecemeal.
Within this, women’s concerns have not been urgently or robustly dealt with,
even where problems are obvious. There is a tendency to believe that change
will happen incrementally and over time, compared to more dynamic
approaches to sectarian issues. On the other hand, reform to facilitate sectarian
issues has at times benefited women.
• Women constitute 51% of Northern Irish society and have been systematically
discriminated against. Whether women’s equality is best promoted within an
equality agenda that covers a number of groups is not entirely clear. Section 75
of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 makes a distinction by referring to the
promotion of equality of opportunity for ‘men and women generally’ and a
number of other listed categories. References to the Act or interpretations refer
to the ‘nine categories’. Becoming ‘one of nine’ may not adequately recognise
their position as half of the population or be the most appropriate way of
furthering women’s equality.
• Among other things, indecisiveness and lack of coherence about approach, for
example whether to deal with women separately or mainstream their rights, has
held up the process of implementation.
• Approaches to women’s inequality are often simplistic. There is little evidence
of challenging traditional, patriarchal views or values. The institutions involved
are not infused with the theory or tools to look beneath gender inequality or
gender power relations and levels of understanding about the structural and
systemic nature of gender inequality is uneven between the various bodies.
Consequently, issues of equality are dealt with at an operational level rather
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