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

task of facilitating integration and equality? For example, an Equality Commission
document, 118 effectively a guide for employers, outlines the measures needed to create
equal opportunity in the workplace. Mindful of the range of categories, suggestions are
broad, such as provision of resources to close the equality gap. However, as regards
women, the resources could have been specified, i.e. provision of childcare facilities.
Essentially inclusion in a broad equality agenda may mean imprecision in detailing what is
required, making it more difficult to measure outcomes.
6.4.1 Women and Good Relations
‘Good relations’ should be promoted between persons of different religious belief, political
opinion and racial group, the only three categories to which the duty applies. Presumably
this is an effort to change sectarian mindsets and division, to get at less visible motives
behind sectarianism. There is no such attempt to change prejudices and assumptions
behind gendered discrimination. Is there an opportunity to at least explore gender issues
within the three categories? An Equality Commission report on good relations states that
because it deals with the three stated categories, ‘women and the LGB [lesbian, gay and
bisexual] community have therefore generally been omitted from this report.’ 119 This
means that within the report, for example, there is no gender perspective on racism. Yet
women have a track record with regard to fostering relations between divided communities
and many councils have included women’s groups as a way of promoting good relations. 120
As will be seen across the various headings of this report, strategies to deal with
sectarianism are more robust than strategies around sexism.
6.5 Single Equality Act
The Equality Commission in its submission to CEDAW in April 2003 described the
equality situation for women in Northern Ireland as follows: ‘Although there have been
dramatic changes in the roles of women, particularly at work and in education, inequality
between women and men persists in all areas of social, economic and political life in
Northern Ireland.’ For example:
•
•
•
•
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65% of women over 16 years of age are economically active compared to 80%
of men.
women workers are concentrated in low paid, low status jobs and in part-time,
casual and temporary work associated with poor terms and conditions.
women earn 85% of men’s gross weekly earnings, including overtime.
Northern Ireland has 62.4 day nursery places per 1000, 0 – 4 year olds,
compared to a United Kingdom average of 95.
women comprise only 14% of the NI Assembly, 18% of local councillors and
31.7% of the membership of public bodies. 121
Much sex inequality stems from society’s failure to recognise and accommodate the fact
that women continue to be the primary carers of children, older people and others who
require support and assistance. Therefore given the close links between the economic,
social and political spheres, women’s disadvantage will continue until the inequalities in
men and women’s overall circumstances are addressed. 122
118 Equality Commission, Model Equal Opportunities Policy, 2004
119 Equality Commission Section 75(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, Audit of Progress on the Good
Relations Duty 2000 – 2003
120 For example, Derry Council’s Women’s Programme, The Women Into History Project
121 Equality Commission Submission to CEDAW, April 2003
122 Ibid.
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