E Library Resources

A selection of people recount their childcare arrangements to illustrate the need  for universal childcare in Northern Ireland.

This discussion paper makes the case for investing in free universal childcare services of high quality in order to reduce gender inequality in earnings and employment. It estimates the employment-generating and fiscal effects of investing in free universal childcare in three middle income countries: South Africa, Uruguay, and Turkey. It calculates the total annual costs of investing in high-quality childcare services that would cover the entire population of children below primary school age, using parameters relevant to each national context.

Sets out the framework, principles and a range of key first actions to help deliver the Executive’s vision for childcare. A more comprehensive childcare strategy is set to follow shortly.

Estimates the economic ramifications of providing universal childcare in Northern Ireland using cost-benefit analysis.

Report by NERI exploring the differing costs of childcare throughout Ireland.

Reviews the nature of government support for childcare costs within universal credit.

Report by the NERI thinktank looking at 20 years of developent in Women's employment in NI

Sets out the type, extent and delivery of childcare provision necessary to maximise the economic participation of women within Northern Ireland.

discusses how gendered behaviours are perceived in the workplace. Comments on development of these attitudes over time.

Booklet produced by TUC on women's rights at work relating to sexual harassment. 

Looks at how humanitarian crises have a disproportionate impact on the secondary education of girls.

Breif summary of PLAN International's report on the impacts of humanitarian crises on girls' secondary education.

Draws on research carried out during throughout the first half of 2014 to identify gaps and unmet needs in education and training affecting women in disadvantaged and rural areas.

Provides an overview of how programmes for a ‘hard to reach’ target group can be delivered successfully in a women’s centre setting.

Report assessming the impact of Women's Tec over a three year period.

A Report by MATRIX into the impact of women in science.

Outlines issues facing minority ethnic women wanting to secure employment, while making a number of recommendations.  Also compares and contrasts the experiences of the integration of minority ethnic women in business across the island of Ireland.

The Women into Non-Traditional Sectors (WINS) project led by Belfast City Council and the Equal at Work project in Dublin, both part-funded by the EU Equal Initiative, commissioned research into mechanisms for brining women into non-traditional occupations north and south. Training for Women Network (TWN) carried out the work for Northern Ireland and the Women’s Education Resource and Research Centre (WERRC) at University College Dublin (UCD) carried out the research for the Republic of Ireland.

Investigates the barriers to participation faced by women from minority ethnic backgrounds in starting up and conducting businesses in Northern Ireland, encompassing issues for businesses in general, issues for women and issues for members of minority ethnic groups.

Executive Summary of the final comparative report of the Enlargement, Gender and Government project by Queen's University Belfast

In most developed countries, economies are facing population ageing, falling fertility rates and stagnating labour force participation. The ability of governments to fund future pension and health-care expenditure relies to a large extent on income tax and social security receipts from workers. Policymakers are generally in agreement that increasing the labour force participation of women, without reducing the fertility rate, is needed. In the year 2000, with the aim of increasing women's labour market participation, a partial individualisation of the Irish income tax system was initiated. Using the Living in Ireland survey and a difference-in-differences framework, I investigate whether this reform had any effect on female labour supply and caring duties. I find that the labour force participation rate of married women increased by 5-6 percentage points in the wake of the reform, hours of work increased by two per week and hours of unpaid childcare decreased by approximately the same margin.

ifty years on from the Equal Pay Act 1970, women are still fighting to make equal pay a reality. Far from this battle being won, this report shows that women are routinely unaware of what their colleagues earn, and therefore unable to secure equal pay. From supermarkets and councils to broadcasters and catering companies, men are still being paid more for the same work, work rated as equivalent, or work of equal value.

This briefing paper from the New Economics Foundation summarises the case for shortening people’s working hours without a loss in pay and puts forward an initial policy framework for getting there. It also marks the beginning of a new stream of work supporting those in trade unions, industry and government seeking to pursue this cause in the UK and across Europe.

This paper by The Progressive Policy Think Tank (TPPTT) argues that automation presents an opportunity to narrow gender inequalities, and sets out four propositions for change based on this premise.

This article examines the impact of a large increase in female participation on occupational segregation. Increases in female participation may decrease occupational segregation if women enter male dominated sectors but may increase segregation if they enter already female dominated sectors. Using Ireland as a test case due to the recent large increase in female participation rates, we firstly carry out a decomposition analysis between 1991 and 2006 and find that the rise in female employment was driven predominantly by increased demand while between one tenth and one fifth of the rise was due to women increasing their share of occupational employment. Formal measures of segregation show that occupational segregation fell over this time period. The formal measures of segregation show that the level of occupational grouping is important with stagnation or smaller falls in segregation using a broad occupational grouping and sharper falls using a more detailed occupational grouping. Our findings support previous U.S. research that found a rise in female participation resulted in a decline in occupational segregation.

ICTU conducted a survey to explore how the menopause affected people at work in Northern Ireland.

2019 report on girls choices in Benin, Togo and Uganda.

This paper presents a costing analysis for a set of family-friendly services and transfers: income protection for children, people of working age, and older persons; universal health coverage; and early childhood care and education and long-term care services. The social protection and care policies that are included in the costing have enormous significance for families and broader society, and their implementation would have particularly important impacts for women, since they are over-represented among those without income security, they face specific life course contingencies, and they take on a highly disproportionate share of unpaid care work.

A series of demands on gender equality issues, directed at local descision makers. 

Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, the HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality provides a systematic approach and targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime. This requires an innovative, inclusive approach that mobilizes people of every gender identity and expression as advocates and acknowledges the ways that we all benefit from this equality. HeForShe invites people around the world to stand together as equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of all of humanity.

This paper begins by presenting an overview of the latest research on cash transfers, gender protection, and empowerment outcomes. It continues by discussing some of the programme design features to consider when seeking to improve gender outcomes. Finally, the paper concludes with a set of research questions that can help shape future research and practice in this area.

Information for individuals on how to organise an event and network to explore how men can be allies in the process of gender equality.

A report by the UN looking at advancements in women's equality with regard to child custody

Contains concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the UK from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

Guide for creating a gender equal workplace

Evidence submitted to the Justice Committee by WRDA in relation to the Domestic Abuse Bill 2020.

Explores the nature of the UK gender pay gap from 1995 to 2007 using data from the British Household Panel Survey.

This study addresses the percolation and domestication of the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – Transforming our World” in Germany with a view to understanding its impact on domestic gender equality policies. Concentrating on federal-level policymaking, the main finding of the study is that the 2030 Agenda and SDG 5 have, as of yet, not had a discernible impact on domestic gender equality struggles. This is surprising, since the 2030 Agenda offers a holistic conception of sustainability, and thus has the “value added” advantage of merging and transcending the rather disjointed gender, social justice, and ecological sustainability policy strands.

Looks at the extent to which EU Member Statesand EEA/EFTA countries have developed gender equality considerations in their policies designed for the active inclusion of vulnerable groups in society. The report provides concrete policy examples across the three pillars of the active inclusion strategy, these being adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality services.

This paper seeks to demonstrate the need and benefit of women-only services across Northern Ireland as well as providing the women’s community and voluntary sector with a tool to lobby for funding as well as to highlight the uniqueness and benefits of women-only services, not just for women but families and the community as a whole.

This report by Stonewall exposes the profound impact that discrimination, violence and exclusion is having on trans people’s quality of life in Britain today.

Summarises the current issues that matter most to local women based on views gathered at the launch of the Women's Regional Consortium in February 2014.

Minimum wages are often advocated as tools to alleviate poverty as long as they are not set so high that they reduce employment. Because women are more likely than men to work in low paid jobs, minimum wages can also help to reduce the gender pay gap. This study examines how the gender wage gap changed following the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in Ireland in 2000 and the United Kingdom (UK) in 1999.

Proposes and details a conceptual framework to set out how equality responsive budgeting can be used within budgetary processes to further assist public authorities in promoting equality of opportunity and good relations.

A report on a pilot project seeking to develop a rights based approach to women's empowerment.

Examines current progress towards action plan commitments at the mid-term point of the Gender Equality Strategy.

Women are disproportionately in low‐paid work compared to men so, in the absence of rationing effects on their employment, they should benefit the most from minimum wage policies. This study examines the change in the gender wage gap around the introduction of minimum wages in Ireland and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Using survey data for the two countries, we develop a decomposition of the change in the gender differences in wage distributions around the date of introduction of minimum wages. We separate out “price” effects attributed to minimum wages from “employment composition” effects. A significant reduction of the gender gap at low wages is observed after the introduction of the minimum wage in Ireland, while there is hardly any change in the U.K. Counterfactual simulations show that the difference between countries may be attributed to gender differences in non‐compliance with the minimum wage legislation in the U.K.

This report by Plan International explores the perfect storm of discrimination faced by girls with disabilities.

Describes the role of women living in disadvantaged communities and details the barriers that make it difficult for women to fulfil their potential or participate fully in society.

new resource for women and women's groups working for change at local level in Plain English

Reviews the condition of gender equality and empowerment of women/girls in the UK in respect of UN member state sustainable development goals.

Women for Changewas a National Women’s Council of Ireland initiative in response to the fact that there is little funding available to support training for women involved in, or interested in getting involved in, work to promote equality and social change.

A summary of the Women's Aid report on funding specialist support for domestic abuse survivors.

Explores the trans-generational impact of the Troubles on mental health

A report on the conditions in secure training centres for girls (in England) and a discussion on how the girls came to be imprisoned.

outlines health inequalities in Northern Ireland between the most and least deprived areas

PLAN International's report outlining critical areas that need to be addressed to achieve universal sexual and reproductive health and rights.

2019 report ‘Women’s Health in Ireland - Evidence Base for the development of the Women’s Health Action Plan’ prepared by Dr Kathy Walsh on behalf of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, HSE and the Department of Health.

A report on the growing issue of people ageing without children in light of government assumptions that families will fill the gaps in social care.

One page summary of the NWCI report on women's health.

An overview of the key issues discussed in the full length consultation document.

examines the mental health and suicide impact of global recession

Assesses the evidence of the impact of the Northern Ireland conflict on mental health and well-being, with particular emphasis on suicide.

Executive summary of PLAN International's repor on the impact of unpaid care on girls' lives.

assesses the impact of austerity on the mental wellbeing of women in Liverpool

A leaflet prepared by HereNI discussing fertility options for Lesbian individuals and couples.

There has been very little systematic research into disabled women’s reproductiverights in Scotland. However, qualitative evidence gathered by Engender over anumber of years suggested to us that their reproductive, sexual and maternal healthwas being overlooked by the very systems and services that should have beenenabling their wellbeing

This report, supported by Comic Relief,presents qualitativeand quantitativedata on the emotional health and wellbeingof lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGB&/T) peoplein Northern Ireland. This is the first reportof its kind, as previous work relating to the emotional health and wellbeing of LGB&/T people has been demographic or age specific, focusing on transgenderpeople, women, young people or young men specifically. This data willhelp inform government and service providersonwhat approachesbest meet the emotional health and wellbeingneedsof LGB&/T people in Northern Ireland.

Disabled women’s lives and lived experiences have received limited policy attention in the UK, limited visibility, and limited inclusion in mainstream feminisms and feminist projects. Despite increasing movement towards intersectionality and intersectional agendas, disabled people have remained hidden in myriad ways.

Examines evidence for interventions to promote gender equality in prevention of violence against women.

Executive summary of the Birthwise Maternity Survey. The survey recorded the experiences of self selecting women who gave birth in NI between 2015-2019.

Explores the relationship between gender equality, domestic violence and human rights in the Northern Ireland case.

Women’s Resource and Development Agency response to 'A New Legal Framework for Abortion Services in NI' Consultation

Increasing evidence is emerging that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) exists within the UK. The aim of this report is to offer a better understanding of this practice within the UK, particularly in relation to human rights. This report provides an overview of the basic elements of FGM –the different types;how widespread it is;the main motivations behind the practice;the health consequences;and how to identify its use. Itsets outthe legal framework that has been setup in the UK to criminalise this practice; it considers thelack of convictions related to FGM in the UK;and it provides examples of good practice for measures that could be taken to help improve implementation of the laws that exist. The report also looks at FGM through a human rights lens, establishing the obligations that the UK has under international and regional human rightslaw in a bid to effectively eradicate the presence of FGM within the UK. It concludes with recommendations to be considered for improving the UK’s approach to eliminating FGM and adhering toits human rightsobligations.

Paper from the Lancet Medical Journal on the status of predominately female health care workers.

A report by the Women and Equalities Committee into abortion law in NI. The report recommends the UK Government clarify NI abortion law.

Contains headline poverty figures drawn from the latest Households Below Average Income datasets for the period April 2011 up to the end of March 2012.

A report on the long term impact of the Credit Crunch on yound people entering the work force between 2008-2011. Dr Carole Easton, Chief Executive of the Young Women’s Trust comments on the particular impacts on young women.

Report detailing how welfare reform since 2010 has endangered the right to food for the poorest people in the UK.

Recommendations to achieve a gender equal economy in the general election 2019

Many analysts agree that the most challenging issue facing the labour market is the quality rather than the quantity of employment. The evidence presented in this Research In Brief however suggests that these headline figures have been masking a more worrying story about the changing nature and quality of employment in Northern Ireland. Specifically, this Research InBrief shows that insecure employment and low pay present particular challenges to improving the quality of jobs and providing decent work for all.

Examines the findings of a number of projects examining the associations between jobs, skills and poverty, with a view to identifying ‘sustainable solutions’ to in-work poverty and worklessness.

This publication presents annual estimates of the percentage and number of people, children,working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Northern Ireland (NI). The estimates are used to monitor poverty rates in Northern Ireland. The estimates for all individuals in Relative and Absolute Poverty,both before and after housing costs,are included in the Draft Programmefor Government. The data published is for the financial year April 2017to March 2018.

Analyses data on child poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom, presenting a child poverty measurement

his is a report about the causes of poverty among women and the consequences that poverty has on women’s lives. It is part of a collaboration between the Women’s Budget Group (WBG) and five women’s organisations in Coventry to improve the support they provide disadvantaged women.

This is a report about the causes of poverty among women and the consequences that poverty has on women’s lives. It is part of a collaboration between the Women’s Budget Group (WBG) and five women’s organisations in Coventry to improve the support they provide disadvantaged women.

Provides the latest data on poverty in Northern Ireland, focusing on associations between poverty, work, disability and age.

Explores children’s experiences of poverty and educational disadvantage and their attitudes to education.

Aims to provide an overview of the main approaches being taken to alleviate rural poverty and increase rural development, as well as exploring whether these approaches have specifically targeted or benefitted rural women.

Considers issues of gender mainstreaming and the use of focus groups and audits to illustrate understanding and demonstrate current levels of representation.  

Contains commitments on rural issues by all Departments and provides a framework for a more integrated approach by the Executive in seeking to address the challenges facing our rural communities.

Looks at the barriers affecting women's access to public and statutory services in rural communities in Northern Ireland.

Explores the topical issues of rural isolation, poverty and rural community/farmer wellbeing.

The third report by Criminal Justice Inspection NI on the topic of how cases of domestic violence and abuse are handled.

A four year eveluation of the Muslim Women's network UK helpline. 

A summary of the Criminal Justice Inspection NI third report on how cases of domestic violence and abuse are handled.

Summary of the review into the impact of the criminalisation of sex in NI.

Brief summary of PLAN International's report on sexual harassment in the UK.

this resource was developed by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) following engagement with women through our Women for Change project. This resource was made possible by the support of the Training Links Fund through the Department of Education and Science.

This booklet has been developed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership and will provide guidance for how support can be provided by the Mosque Community and how victims can obtain support.

Provides a comprehensive guide to the local public procurement and tendering landscape.

The Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin is a quarterly bulletin containing information on new housing starts and completions, homelessness, the NI House Price Index and new house sales and prices.

A pack by Restored looking at how domestic abuse can be challenged in the context of Christian Communities.

This is the first report to study transphobic hate incidents in Northern Ireland, the effect such incidents have on trans individuals and the issues that might constrain trans persons from reporting such incidents to the PSNI. The core focus of the report has been to give a voice to the views, opinions and experiences of trans individuals in relation to hate crime and the way in which experiencing a transphobic incident impacts one‟s perception of safety and also one‟s emotional, physical and psychological well-being.

This report was produced by The Fawcett Society and global law firm Hogan Lovells.

The Belfast Domestic & Sexual Violence Partnership has developed a leaflet on financial abuse – what is it, how to recognise it, and how to break free from it.

The guide includes vital information on legal options, managing debt, and what to do once you leave an abusive partner.

Manifesto put together by coalition of 29 organisations striving for gender equality and women’s human rights.

A booklet helping venues design and understand gender neutral toilet signs.

The executive summary from the annual wide ranging survey by Parenting NI

A statement from The Religious Institute outling a faith based case to support women's right to choose.

Explores the impact of welfare reform on Northern Ireland, including on pre-existing poverty.

A report by leading academic Professor Sylvia Walby, UNESCO Chair in Gender Research, and Jude Towers at Lancaster University, raises concern about the implications of public expenditure reductions for the provision of local violence against women services.

Considers the cumulative impact of spending cuts and other austerity initiatives on vulnerable groups of women in Liverpool.

Examines the projected cumulative impact of tax and benefit reforms on Northern Ireland households.

Explores the gender impact of cuts to jobs, services and welfare.

Examines the impact on household income distribution in the United Kingdom of recent tax, tax credit and benefit reform.

An assessment of the cumulative impact on single mothers of 2010-15 tax and benefit reforms.

A report by the Women's Budget Group looking at how sspects of the social security system undermine the UK Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill.

Explores the impact of austerity on the everyday lives of families in the United Kingdom.

Explores how the social housing sector might ‘address poverty and help prevent tenants from moving into problematic debt and rent arrears’, in the context of welfare reform and wider austerity.

Article by the Trussell Trust looking at how Universal Credit can make it harder for women to leave abusive relationships.

Explores the effects of cuts in welfare expenditure on social landlords and tenants.

Examines the cumulative impact of welfare changes on women in Scotland.

The goal of this project was always to produce a Women’s Charter for Change, and to do this by having a cross-community group of women in North Belfast to work together to produce it. The Charter itself was designed to look at some of the most entrenched issues in society here; issues around cultural expression and shared space, and to chart a way forward – lessons we can use to build a toolkit that can be adapted and used in different circumstances and in different places.

Research aiming to map individual women's experiences of violence in NI.

Investigates women's role in peacebuilding. Debates relating to innate passivity in women, socialisation processes, differential impact of conflict and coincidental factors are explored. Notions of civil society are also examined and how women are included (or not) in the theory.

Explores and highlights the difficulty that the notion of ‘Forgiveness’ poses in attempting to accept and resolve issues about historical events, such as those that occured during the Northern Ireland conflict. The report itself has been a result of a close working partnership between TWN, The Institute of Governance (QUB), The Forgiveness Project and various community, victim and voluntary groups across the Northern Ireland. 

An article from the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy updating readers on the Migrant Crisis.

Offers local decision makers guidance on how best to incorporate the views of women into peacebuilding and the development of policy.

Discussion of the need for a shared vision as a means to unite a fractured society.

A booklet providing a useful overview of reports and programmes in this area.

Explores women’s accounts of their own experiences of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Supported by a bursary from NI-CO, the TWN Policy and Research Officer went to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5-9 November 2007 to make connections with organisations working in the area of gender equality and to investigate comparisons between the post-conflict contexts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland in terms of women’s empowerment.

ECNI's submission to CEDAW.

Explores policy approaches to framing the issue of ‘peace walls’ and issues around the Executive’s ambition to remove all such interface barriers by 2023.

Cases were identified from the helpline database where Muslim female service users had come into contact with criminal justice institutions such as the police, crown prosecution service or judiciary and the responses they received were insufficient or inadequate. These cases are analysed of examined for how the criminal justice system responds to Muslim women who have been victims of violence and abuse and whether they are ‘getting justice’ and what factors are contributing to any ‘justice gap.’

Explores research evidence on a wide range of social issues related to poverty.

Three themes emerged as key factors to ensure engagement of women from disadvantaged and rural areas in the Community Planning process.

Summary of the report from Muslim Women's Network UK into the impact of poor service in the Criminal Justice System.

Explores the role public policy ‘should play in supporting progress on a living wage’.

A round up of the work of WRDA in July 2019

explores the relationship between Brexit and Northern Ireland

The UK Government has made steps towards lifting the coronavirus lockdown, signalling a move to the next phase of the national response to the pandemic. But with women making up a small minority of those involved in decision-making, gendered perspectives are being missed. This does not just risk inequalities - it means that the likelihood of us ending the lockdown successfully will be undermined.

sets out the United Kingdom government’s position on Brexit and Northern Ireland and Ireland

explores the potential implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland

WBG has set out it’s concern about the impact of Brexit, particularly a no deal Brexit, in multiple reports1and briefings2since 2017. Based on our analysis WBG has concluded that Brexit will have a damaging impact on the UK economy, with a ‘hard Brexit’, likely to be the most damaging3. Although the Brexit deal proposed by Boris Johnson avoids some of the most catastrophic impacts of no deal, it represents a very ‘hard’ version of Brexit. It rules out a new customs union and a close relationship with the single market. For many women, particularly the poorest, black and minority ethnic (BAME) women and disabled women, this could mean job losses, cuts to services, squeezed family budgets and reduced legal protections.

Women’s Aid NI is committed to being the best we can be for children and young people – we believe they deserve the best. We want to provide a safe place for every child and young person who uses our services, a place where they can get support without stigma. We want to provide high quality services, informed by children and young people that effectively respond to and meet their needs. We want the experience of Women’s Aid NI to be positive, supportive and one they will remember for the rest of their lives. We are also committed to creating social change and to empowering and supporting everyone to play their role to make a difference for all children and young people, because our belief is that everyone can do something.

A women's Manifesto for the 2019 General Election

Relays women’s experiences of community service placements in three women’s centres in Northern Ireland.

A summary of the latest predictions regarding the impact of Brexit on NI.

Blog post from SafeLives exploring disabled women's experience of domestic violence.

A series of demands on gender equality issues, directed at local descision makers. Issues covered include childcare, education, equality law and violence against women.

Penal practices in Northern Ireland are fashioned around the legacy of civil unrest and the imprisonment of politically affiliated prisoners. Women represent a small percentage of the prison population, and most are sentenced for minor ‘offences’, including non-payment of fines. Women exiting prison share histories of severe social exclusion and complex unmet needs in relation to housing, employment, income, education, training, and mental and physical health. Recently,the introduction of a strategy for the management of women who offend, gender specific standards for working with women prisoners and the establishment of the probation-led Inspire Women’s Project, have marked an acknowledgement of women’s penality by the Department of Justice. This paper draws upon primary qualitative research data on women’s resettlement experience in Northern Ireland to consider the correlation between gender responsive measures and the increasing criminalisation and imprisonment of severely disadvantaged and marginalised women. It explores the failure of gender responsive initiatives to reduce the Northern Ireland female prison population, it examines professional discourse which privileges the responsibilisation of women and the language of choice and reflects upon the up-tariffing of women on the basis of their unmet need rather than the seriousness of their offending.

considers how Brexit might potentially threaten working women’s rights.

critically examines the different ways in which Brexit may potentially impact the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland adversely, proposing corrective action to help address same.

Seeks to provide all stakeholders with the purpose, direction and vision to take the NW women’s sector forward in a meaningful and co-ordinated fashion.

University of Wisconsin paper looking at potential feminist responses to climate change

Aims to create comptetitive, connected, creative and caring L'Derry for everyone.

Reviews evidence and data on housing and communities’ inequalities for groups associated with each of the section 75 equality grounds of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Analysis of a survey conducted by QUB into attitudes to Brexit in NI.