Our vision is of ... full gender equality

Despite equality legislation and the publication of the Gender Matters strategy, equality between women and men in Northern Ireland seems as far away as ever. The labour market remains segregated with significantly more women than men concentrated in low paid and part-time employment. The gender pay gap still persists and it is estimated that women will shoulder at least 75% of the cuts announced in the 2011 budget. 

Women in Northern Ireland bear the burden of caring for children and other dependants while the availability of quality, affordable childcare is far below that of the rest of the UK. Childcare remains the single biggest barrier for women with dependent children in Northern Ireland to be able to access and stay in work. 

Childcare services need to be affordable, age appropriate, flexible, and of a high quality. In the 2007 elections only 17 women were elected to the Assembly, and this number has fallen to 15 since then. No party took the opportunity afforded by co-options to address this serious gender imbalance at the heart of decision making. In 2009-10 almost 32,300 calls were made to the 24 hour Domestic Violence Helpline open to anyone affected by domestic violence and the PSNI recorded 24,500 incidents with domestic motivation. Northern Ireland still lacks effective rape crisis provision. Access to information and support on issues relating to reproductive health for women is not consistent across Northern Ireland.

In order to realise our vision of a Northern Ireland where there is full equality between women and men, politicians and political parties should:

• Implement the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 to ensure women are nominated for winnable positions within the party and at elections. This will improve the unequal representation of women in political life, as mandated by the concluding observations of the CEDAW Committee in 2008, which noted the under-representation of women and called for the full implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Northern Ireland as a means of improving women’s representation in political and public life.
• Identify a lead department for childcare policy and practice, and develop an integrated childcare strategy and action plan, to meet at least the UK average of 1.4 childcare places in Northern Ireland.   Encourage employers in Northern Ireland, starting with the Northern Ireland Civil Service to implement a broad range of flexible working and family friendly policies and practices.
• Ensure equal access to information on sexual and reproductive health services for all women in Northern Ireland - regardless of where they live. Support the provision of independent rape crisis support and ensure that statutory services, including the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, are supported by accessible services across Northern Ireland.  Change Legal Aid rules to ensure all victims of domestic violence have access to legal protection and justice.
• Ensure access to non directive information and advice on sexual health, contraception, fertility and all other women’s health issues as recommended by CEDAW.
• Ensure that all decisions relating to the budget are fully gender proofed. Lobby the NIO to designate the Department of Work and Pensions in the list of government bodies that are covered by Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act. This will ensure that welfare reform proposals are subject to the full extent of equality scrutiny that all other policies in Northern Ireland must comply with.