Main Issues Identified In Workshops
Workshop participants were asked to identify the main issues for women and men in relation to gender inequality. Please click on a category to view comments in alphabetical order of workshops:
Access to employment and economic independence
Childcare/eldercare/caring role
Gender pay gap
Enterprise creation/entrepreneurship
Pensions
Education and lifelong learning (including vocational training)
Work-life balance
Stereotypes and prejudices linked with women's and men's gender, marital or relationship status, or caring roles
Needs of women and men in rural communities (including transport)
Housing/homelessness
Social welfare (poverty)
Health and wellbeing (including suicide)
Family diversity and parenting issues
Crime and community safety
Gender-related violence and abuse
Partnership rights
Representation in public life and in senior decision-making roles
Family Law
General Comments
Childcare/eldercare/caring role
Gender pay gap
Enterprise creation/entrepreneurship
Pensions
Education and lifelong learning (including vocational training)
Work-life balance
Stereotypes and prejudices linked with women's and men's gender, marital or relationship status, or caring roles
Needs of women and men in rural communities (including transport)
Housing/homelessness
Social welfare (poverty)
Health and wellbeing (including suicide)
Family diversity and parenting issues
Crime and community safety
Gender-related violence and abuse
Partnership rights
Representation in public life and in senior decision-making roles
Family Law
General Comments
Ballybeen Women's Centre
"Women aren't given the encouragement and opportunity to enter non-traditional professions."Carrickfergus community groups
"Small companies struggle with benefits available to women. Government needs to support women and companies to break down these barriers."Dungiven catchment area women's groups
"Women's promotion chances are limited during child-bearing years, and they lack the confidence to go for better-paid jobs."Footprints Women's Centre
"Women's ambitions are thwarted by family responsibilities."Lenadoon women's group, workshop 1
"Women find it harder to get into traditionally male employment roles, such as construction, mechanics and engineering - these roles are not encouraged in schools."Limavady Community Development Initiative
"Women are forced to choose between career and children."Shankill Women's Centre
"There's no incentive for mothers to return to work after having children."University of Ulster staff
"Child-bearing women are discriminated against in employment. Women are afraid to admit that they need to take time off for hospital appointments or anything to do with children."Windsor Women's Centre
"Good quality childcare still remains the biggest barrier for women wishing to enter the labour market."Ballynafeigh Community Development Association (BCDA)
The state has a responsibility to women who have spent their lives doing unwaged work."Fermanagh Women's Network
"How were the figures for carers arrived at? We suspect the figure of informal carers is higher than the average used in this document. It is not acceptable to use the term "economic inactivity": it undermines women who choose to stay at home. Sometimes they may stay at home to look after relatives or if childcare is unavailable."Forkhill Women's Centre
"Given the importance of children's early years, parents should have the right to payment to allow them to stay at home to look after their children."Greenway Women's Centre
"Childcare is not seen as a basic right across the board - it should be, and the rates should be affordable for all"INGAGE women's groups
"Caring in the home should be paid - there should be a clear economic benefit to having a caring role."Limavady Community Development Initiative
"Women have to go home to look after their children when they are sick - carers are nearly always women; men are looked down on if they become carers."Mid-Ulster Network
"More financial rewards are needed for eldercare; many women care for elderly relatives at night and still have to care for their children during the day."NI Women's Aid, Newry
"Childcare and eldercare should be separate, stand-alone issues."Shankill Women's Centre
The term "economic inactivity" degrades the caring role; it should be replaced by "unpaid activity".Falls Women's Centre
"Women are still not earning as much as men."Waterside Women's Centre
"Equal pay legislation is not being enforced, but employees are too scared to take employers to court."Mid-Ulster Network
"Girls are not encouraged to take risks in business; they are encouraged to take safe jobs."NI Women's Aid
"Women can't take entrepreneurial risks because of family commitments."Rural Women's Think Tank
"There is an issues with the invisibility of women's contribution to enterprise and entrepreneurship; women are doing a lot more creative work."Ballybeen Women's Centre
"If a woman hasn't worked due to her caring responsibilities, her pension will be based on her husband's contributions and years worked."Falls Women's Centre
"Women often work on temporary or part-time contracts that don't offer pensions"Footprint's Women's Centre
"Childcare years count for nothing in terms of pension rights."LASI, Belfast workshop
"Pensions are based on earnings and length of time in work; women normally take time out as carers and are therefore disadvantaged"Ballynafeigh Community Development Association
"Gender-neutral career counselling is required in schools"Carrickfergus community groups
"If girls are doing better in schools and going to university, why are women not getting the top management jobs? Is it jobs for the boys?"INGAGE women's groups
"We need to go to primary schools to create opportunities, change attitudes, influence thinking and young women."Shankill Women's Centre
"Young girls are not finishing education because of early pregnancies .... Gender education should start in primary schools."Survivors of Trauma
"Young men need to be educated about parental responsibility."Women's Tec
"Further education colleges don't take into account women's caring responsibilities."Windsor Women's Centre
"Many men can't avail of paternity leave. Men's parenting role should be acknowledged and greater flexibility allowed around paternity leave and regulations."Waterside Women's Centre
"Fathers should be legally entitled to more time off with their children. Both parents should be equally responsible."Lisburn YMCA
"Men do not get adequate paternity leave."LASI, Derry/Londonderry workshop
"Unsociable working hours are seen as a measure of commitment and are not family-friendly.. Women don't have time to be involved in the informal networking that is important in moving up the career ladder. More flexible working arrangements are needed for women."Women's Tec
"There's a culture of men working long hours, which isn't family-friendly. This culture of long hours and working away from home relies on the care that is usually provided by women."Stereotypes and prejudices linked with women's and men's gender, marital or relationship status, or caring roles
Ballybeen Women's Centre
"At school, girls are encouraged to go into caring professions."Carrickfergus community groups
"Married women are seen as less likely candidates for jobs, but married men are seen as steady and reliable."Falls Women's Centre
"The expectation in society is that women should look after children."Lenadoon women's groups, workshop 1
"Employers see female employees as a liability because of maternity leave."Lenadoon women's groups, workshop 2
"It's always assumed that the women will take time off work to look after the kids."Mid-Ulster Network
"Cultural conditioning is such that we perceive women to be the best carers."University of Ulster staff
"We need to increase awareness of the fact that caring is not an exclusively female role - especially in schools."Youth Action, Northern Ireland
"Women feel pressure to be carers and are usually left with the baby. Men are seen as providers, not carers; they are expected to be the breadwinners."Carrickfergus community groups
"The transport infrastructure in the country is pathetic.. There is an increase in mental health issues and suicide rates among farmers."Fermanagh Women's Network
"In rural areas, if there is one car in the family it will be used by the man. Transport is not regular enough in rural areas to allow people to keep appointments."INGAGE women's groups
"There is no recognition of women who farm; women in farming communities usually stay in the family role."LASI, Derry/Londonderry
"Rural women can be isolated mentally and physically, particularly lesbian women."Mid-Ulster Network
"Many older women in rural areas are forgotten about."NI Women's Aid
"Suicide among young farmers is an issue."Rural Women's Think Tank
"Job opportunities are limited in rural communities."Survivors of Trauma
"People in rural areas have to travel to work so childcare is needed for longer."Family Planning Association, Coleraine
"The housing points system is set up to give more opportunities to females and allows them to gain more points, even if they are in the same situation as men."Fermanagh Women's Network
"Single men are more likely to be homeless."NI Women's Aid
"Hidden homelessness - because of domestic violence - is not reflected."Shankill Women's Centre
"There's a lack of women-only hostels for homeless women."Women's Tec
"Hostels for the homeless are not always suitable for women and children."Age Concern NI
"Being an older woman too often means major economic deprivation, lack of access to health provision, loneliness and isolation and being deprived of basic human dignity..Being an older man most significantly entails dying at a younger age than woman - on average - resulting in part from a failure to access healthcare over their adult lives."Falls Women's Centre
"Most single parents are women, and they often have difficulty paying for childcare, housing, education costs etc."University of Ulster staff
"Women more likely to experience poverty in old age."Ballynafeigh Community Development Association
"Suicide should be a separate issue to health and wellbeing - it is too big an issue to add on."Carrickfergus community groups
"Boys and men are more prone to physical expressions of feelings rather than talking about problems. They turn to drugs and drink to deal with problems..Suicide rate for males are higher - this issue must be examined at primary-school level."Men's Project
"Men's health issues need to be addressed - especially with younger men"NI Women's Aid, Newry
"Women on prescription drugs, such as antidepressants, is an issue."Survivors of Trauma
"Special attention needs to be given to young women who are binge-drinking and smoking heavily."Women's Tec
"There is no mention of women's issues around self-harm and eating disorders."Age Concern NI
"Multi-identity issues are not adequately addressed, and when referring to the multi-dimensional aspect of gender equality, age is not mentioned."Family Planning Association, Derry/Londonderry
"Family diversity should specifically refer to same-sex marriage."LASI, Derry/Londonderry
"Need to recognise that there are very different types of families, including same-sex couples."Carrickfergus community groups
"Safety for older unmarried people is an issue, particularly for women. Older women are afraid in their own home and will not venture out for fear of crime."Dungiven catchment area women's groups
"Women who report crime may be victimised when they get to court."University of Ulster staff workshop
"Young men are more at risk from violence, especially gay men. Women are more vulnerable to date rape and being drugged."Women's Tec
"We need to know more about violence against men."Dungiven catchment area women's groups
"Women who experience domestic violence often feel that there is no way out as they are financially dependent on the man...Men are victims of violence and abuse, too"Footprints Women's Centre
"Women stay in abusive relationships because they are not economically independent."Rural Women's Think Tank
"Women remain in the home and endure abuse rather than risk being made homeless with their children."Youth Action Northern Ireland
"It's seen as acceptable for a woman to hit a man but not vice versa."Shankill Women's Centre
"Partnership rights section makes no mention of ethnic minorities, gay and lesbian people, and no information is provided."Waterside Women's Centre
"Partnership rights are a difficulty for unmarried people."Ballynafeigh Community Development Association
"Public life should be more women-friendly. Of 108 MLAs, only 18 are women. We should look to the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, which practice positive discrimination."INGAGE women's groups
"A religious balance is to be achieved within the PSNI by positive discrimination - there may be an argument to bring forward positive discrimination to achieve gender balance on public bodies."Windsor Women's Centre
"It is difficult for women to become involved in public life as times of meetings and so on don't take into account the fact that women have families to look after."Family Planning Association, Derry/Londonderry
"Family law should be addressed as a separate key action area"Men's Project
"The family law system does not treat men as if they are integral to the family - they are seen as just an add-on."University of Ulster staff
"There should be more focus on family law"Age Concern Northern Ireland
"Perhaps a specific women's strategy is needed."Fermanagh Women's Network
"The document is very selective in its use of statistics, and it is often not clear what the statistics refer to... Women are disadvantaged in all 17 of the priority areas listed in the document, while men are disadvantaged in only three of the areas."Men's Project
"The statistics give the impression that it's men versus women."NI Women's Aid, Newry
"The document never states the primary lack of equality of opportunity experienced by women"Rural Women's Think Tank
"The document is tripping over itself to keep men happy."
