RESPONSE
TO GENDER MATTERS: TOWARDS A CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO PROMOTE
GENDER EQUALITY FOR WOMEN AND MEN 2005-2015 - A CONSULTATION DOCUMENT
The
Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform welcomes the opportunity to respond
to the document.
The
general view of the Platform is that the document currently out for consultation
falls short of a strategy and we have a number of specific concerns:
1.
We are concerned
that there is inadequate acknowledgement of women’s historical unequal
position in society. The strategy
needs to have an appropriate context. It is important to understand an
acknowledge patterns of inequality and disadvantage but the document lacks
analysis of women’s unequal position in society. For example, more emphasis
needs to be placed on the economic and social position of women and men.
2.
There is
inadequate discussion of the factors that prevent women from competing equally
with men in area of employment and public life. This would include proposals to
redress the unequal division of labour within the home and how the contribution
of men as partners, and fathers, in this arena could be increased.
3.
The absence of
concrete proposals and time set targets is a problem if effective measures to
address women’s inequality are to be implemented and monitored.
4.
The Indicators
data, while useful, is not sufficiently comprehensive. This
data needs to be based on a fuller understanding of the variety of factors
contributing to women’s inequality.
5.
Much of the
response makes reference to the measures which need to be included in an Action
Plan but the lack of an action plan at this stage is a serious deficit.
6.
The analysis of
domestic violence in the document obscures the fact that women are considerably
more likely than men to experience domestic violence. Policy and strategies need
to fully recognise this so that resourcing and services to organisations working
with victims of domestic violence are sufficient to tackle the serious problem
of male violence against women. We are also concerned by the proposal that the
impact of violence on ethnic minority women will be within the remit of the Race
Equality Strategy on the grounds that this does not acknowledge the nature of
oppression against women.
7.
The document does
not sufficiently embrace S75 and the need for positive action for women.
It relies on mainstreaming without addressing the root causes of
inequality and outlining what might be done to remove them.
8.
There is a focus
on women and men having the same treatment and opportunities without any
recognition that treating women and men identically will not ensure equal
outcomes because women and men experience different living situations.
Omissions
from the strategy:
1.
The question of
sexual and reproductive health and sex education.
The inability of women in
2.
Failure to
acknowledge the ‘lack of choice’ experienced by many women in relation to
employment outside the home. For example, the cost and quality of childcare
means many women do not have a choice about working full-time.
A community care policy which continues to assume that women will care
for dependants and inadequate resourcing of community care means that often
women have no real choice.
3.
There is no real
indication of where change can be effected in
4.
While we welcome
reference to internal agreements such as CEDAW and the Platform for Action,
there is no reference to the deficits identified by the previous CEDAW committee
(this would include reference to reproductive rights).
5.
There are no
details of resources to be allocated to the implementation of a gender equality
strategy which could suggest that the implementation of the strategy is not
going to be a priority.
Recommendations:
One
solution may be to establish an Interdepartmental Working Group on Gender should
be established. This should be a high level group led by a Minister, with senior
civil servants and representatives with clear knowledge of women’s issues to
monitor the implementation of a strategy.