E Library Resources

Reviews childcare costs in Northern Ireland

A guide for parents and care givers from Plan International on how to talk to children about the Covid-19 Crisis

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

Puts forward new standards developed to provide assurance of a consistent level of quality in childminding and day care services, and also to ensure a consistent regional approach to registration and inspection.

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

Presents a roadmap for the development of early years, childcare and family support services for Northern Ireland. 

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.

A formal investigation into the treatment of pregnant workers and mothers in Northern Ireland's workplaces.

NWCI have launched research exploring women's under representation in local government. This was carried out by Dr Pauline Cullen and Claire McGing. It was kindly supported by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

The ILO has joined forces with UN Women for an intervention that stimulates sustainable and environmentally friendly development in the Upper Basin of the Vjosa River in southern Albania. 

The region and its river, often referred to as “the last unexploited river” in Europe, is one of the least populated one in the country and it is affected by high rates of outmigration. The area is characterized by increasing unemployment as well as underemployment rates. As a response to this trend, the ILO conducts a Market Systems Analysis (MSA) in order to address decent work deficits and explore  the potential for job creation. The focus is  on the green economy and enterprises that can safeguard the environment.

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.

Alice Martin wrote for Tribune about the possibilities that a shorter working week would offer to parents, children and nursery workers alike.

A review of data on the prevalence of sexual violence and harassment in Irish higher education settings.

 submission to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation on their guidance for home working. The submission makes recommendations on work/life balance, women’s leadership and career development, childcare, health, violence against women and workers’ rights.

School-related gender based violence (SRGBV) has a devastating impact on learners around the world. Every year, millions of children and adolescents mostly girls – are deprived of their right to an equitable and inclusive education. Policy makers, governments, educators, parents and activists are increasingly confronted by this problem and looking for the most effective measures to end gender based violence in and around schools. Education unions are playing a unique role in this global effort.

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.

Reviews international research evidence on the relationship between gender and education.

This discussion paper focuses on sexual harassment of workers in the informal economy, with a focus on farmworkers and domestic workers. It seeks to shed light on the experiences of those who are, by definition, unrecorded, unrecognised, and unprotected.

Explores women's community education provision as a key component of Northern Ireland's active and vibrant community learning sector.

A Unison campaign to recognise the work of support staff in schools.

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

Paper from the Lancet Medical Journal looking at the link between Domestic Violence and quarantine measures in response to Covid-19.

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

This report, a joint effort between The Fawcett Society and Starling Bank, considers these changing roles, behaviours and attitudes in the context of financial decision-making within the home. Drawing from survey data, focus group findings and existing evidence, the report sets out how couples living together make decisions about their finances. Spanning day-to-day expenses to significant financial commitments, we show how, in couples where women live with a male partner, men and women are dividing up these household roles and responsibilities and the impact of this on their time and wellbeing.

A report from the JRCT. 

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.

ince 2014, Oxfam America and Gender at Work (G@W) have worked in partnership to implement the Gender Action Learning (GAL) Process in Ghana, Senegal, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Using the Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology, we have been able to reflect and learn about how change around gender justice happens on an individual, organizational and community levels. The last stages of this project were implemented in May 2016

Report by WUNRN looking at how Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) is being implemented in urban planning.

A report by Plan UK looking at how the UK can use its position in the world to improve gilrs rights globally. 

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.

UN Women leads and coordinates a United Nations system–wide network of more than 300 gender focal points. The Global Annual Meeting of Gender Focal Points and Focal Points for Women in the United Nations brings the network together in person and supports the gender focal points in their ongoing work to enhance gender parity and an enabling environment in their respective entities.

This paper sets gender in the context of both policy and practice, providing challenges to gender based work with young women and young men, as well as providing recommendations for policy developments in helping young people to understand and challenge the impact that gender has upon their lives.

Report by UN Women on the progress of gender equality in families.

Any assessment of the evidence for gender transformative work with men and boys should consider the conditions that have shaped the emergence of this work. Male-focused gender transformative work has a history, or rather histories. Reviewing its evidence base in light of the forces and factors which have informed its emergence over time enriches our understanding of both the findings from, and the silences within, this body of work.

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

Aruna Rao looks at how change is happening through the daily grind of gender equality activists. She argues that in order to achieve basic development objectives we need both better delivery and better accountability for a range services to women – not just education and health, but also agricultural extension, land registration and property protection, regulation of labour markets, and safety. She also argues that institutional insiders and outsiders need to support each others’ different but complementary roles as change agents

A guide to best practice on involving women in public consultations.

The paper provides a basis to review the barriers, risks, and opportunities related to gender and the accessibility and utilization of digital finance, and to help identify pathways that could be leveraged for potential impactful investment returns for women.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) around the world are seen as playing a pivotal role in spotlighting inequities and systemic disadvantage on the basis of multiple and intersecting dimensions, in addressing discrimination in policies and access to services, and in building the awareness and capacities of people to claim their rights, both in public spheres such as law courts, markets and schools, and in private institutions such as households. CSOs are seen as flexible and adaptive to new ideas and learning, important actors in holding power holders to account and effective advocates. Feminist mobilisation in civil society, for example, according to an oft cited global survey of 70 countries, was found to be the most important factor in achieving policy change regarding violence against women, which has now become seen as a global pandemic destroying lives everywhere. Yet passionately fighting for human rights on the outside does not necessarily mean that these same organisations practise inclusion and equity on the inside

Annual report from UN Women.

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.

In September 2013, the South African Gender at Work (G@W) team initiated a feminist inspired social change process to experiment with the possibility of using an approach that emphasises dialogue and working with multiple and diverse actors to collaborate in creating greater collective impact in relation to violence against women and non-conforming genders.

The social change process was named “Letsema” – an isiSotho word referring to the practice in rural areas where women came together to work the soil. In the context of the social change process initiated by the Gender at Work team, “Letsema” gave meaning to women (and men) coming together to work the soil of creating new and more equal social norms; non-violent relationships between women, men and non-conforming genders andto effect maximum collective impact.

This paper attempts to outline the story of what happened during the Letsema process; what our initial Theory of Change was and what has enabled the changes, what are some of the key outcomes and what this has meant in terms of norm change. Finally we ask now what – where the process is going – what are some of the key challenges we face and what are we learning?

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.

This brief presents headlines of UN Women’s analysis of Twitter data on the use of the hashtag #MeToo in different countries between 2017 and 2019. The analysis provides global data on engagement with the movement on Twitter by region; a list of some regional or language-specific hashtags by country; and a list of most commonly used terms alongside the #MeToo hashtag. Conclusions are drawn on the ways in which social media contributed to the movement by allowing people to express their thoughts and ideas concerning sexual harassment.

The paper summarises statistics on gender representation in decision-making positions in Northern Ireland.The statistics are set out in simplified tables to offer an at-a-glance view of gender and power in Northern Ireland.

This report by Plan UK provides an initial overview and analysis of some of the wider issues facing girls during the pandemic, with recommendations for action. However, much more research into the impact of the pandemic on girls is urgently needed, with specific attention given to girls who are the most marginalised and least heard.

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

Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) are usually preferred by patients and clinicians. Current provision is limited, although expansion is in progress. To ensure successful investment in services, outcome measurement is vital.

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.

Examines the impact of loneliness on the well being of older people and potential policy and service interventions to address same.

Guidelines and Audit Implementation Network report that makes the case for an MBU based on inpatient admission stats across all the health trusts. Commissioned by RQIA, 

This document provides a briefing on women's mental health in Ireland. More information and statistics about women’s health can be found in the 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, Health Service Executive and the Department of Health. 

Attempts to measure social exclusion among older people in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI) and fill critical knowledge gaps.

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

Investigates the rights of older people in nursing homes in Northern Ireland.

Discusses the role of the UK Parliament in regards to Abotion in NI.

Women discuss mental health in their own words.

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.

This is the first policy report on the psychology of loneliness in the UK. I hope that the way it crystallises what many people are doing instinctively can be used to spread these approaches, so everyone can connect in order to live full and satisfying lives.

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.

explores how ethnonational conflict in the jurisdiction has adversely impact mental health and wellbeing

The Department of Health and Social Care has asked the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission to consider reforms to the law of surrogacy in the United Kingdom.Surrogacy is the practice of a woman (who we refer to in this paper as the “surrogate”) becoming pregnant with a child that may, or may not, be genetically related to her, carrying the child, and giving birth to the child for another family (who we refer to as the “intended parents”).This Consultation Paper sets out provisional proposals for, and questions about, the reform of the law of surrogacy.

This research concludes that, since 2015, much remains the same for women within and leaving the criminal justice system. Lack of change, alongside steadily increasing numbers being sent to prison requires a more radical review across policy, provision, sentencing and approach.

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness was inspired by Jo’s vision that by working together we could make a real difference to the lives of those affected by loneliness. Over the past 12 months, a group of 13 charities and businesses have been working, together with co-chairs Seema Kennedy and Rachel Reeves, to respond to the challenge of loneliness. In this report we reflect what we have learnt and set out what we, the Commission partners, believe needs to happen next.

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

The results of a survey carried out by the National Women's Council (Ireland).

examines the mental health and suicide impact of global recession

From the moment the pandemic broke, UN Women drew worldwide attention to specific tolls on women and girls. This selection of stories highlights how we and our partners quickly shifted efforts to ensure that women and girls are at the centre of the COVID-19 response.

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

Analyses the Breast and Cervical Screening Programme and Sexual Health for Parents programme delivered by WRDA.

Birthwise surveyed women who gave birth in NI from 2015-2019 and developed recommendations from this data. This document contains the survey questions, analysed results, recommendations and executive summary.

Paper from the Lancet Medical Journal on the importance of sexual and reproductive health during Covid-19.

Joint NGO submission from National Women's Council Ireland on lone parents and COVID, calling for measures that can be taken now to prevent a rise in unemployment among lone parents, a deepening of child poverty and gender inequality, and a rise in family homelessness.

presents survey findings on women’s experiences of antenatal and postnatal mental health care.

A consultation response on behalf of the Women's Policy Group prepared by the Women's Sector Lobbyist.

The Homelessness Monitor: Northern Ireland 2020 is the third annual report of an independent study, funded by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, of the homelessness impacts of recent economic and policy developments in Northern Ireland

A report by the NEF into the impact of Austerity on the NI labour market and discussion of the direction of NI’s labour market and economic policy.

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

This paper explores how women are disproportionately impacted by climate change and the abuse of human rights by corporations. It recognises that even though women face additional barriers to participation in decisions to solve these issues, they are often at the forefront of tackling climate change and human rights abuses and articulating the need for transformative change. 

Domestic abuse is by its very nature a housing issue. This report by Women's Aid examines the housing experiences of survivors of domestic abuse using evidence from Women’s Aid Survivor Voice Survey 2019. It reveals that housing fears are a barrier for many women leaving, and that those who do leave face upheaval and disruption, for themselves and their children, as a result of challenges in finding suitable housing.

Domestic abuse is by its very nature a housing issue. This summary of a report by Women's Aid examines the housing experiences of survivors of domestic abuse using evidence from Women’s Aid Survivor Voice Survey 2019. It reveals that housing fears are a barrier for many women leaving, and that those who do leave face upheaval and disruption, for themselves and their children, as a result of challenges in finding suitable housing.

The Nowhere to Turn, 2020 report provides an insight into what happens to those women who are unable to access refuge services after having to give up their homes to escape abuse. Many survivors supported by Women’s Aid’s caseworkers said that since leaving their home they had faced homelessness whilst looking for refuge space. Just under 40% of survivors had been ‘sofa surfing’ – staying temporarily with friends or family while homeless – and 7% (17 women) had been forced to sleep rough.

Summary of the impact of cuts to local authority budgets on women.

The Nowhere to Turn, 2020 report provides an insight into what happens to those women who are unable to access refuge services after having to give up their homes to escape abuse. Many survivors supported by Women’s Aid’s caseworkers said that since leaving their home they had faced homelessness whilst looking for refuge space. Just under 40% of survivors had been ‘sofa surfing’ – staying temporarily with friends or family while homeless – and 7% (17 women) had been forced to sleep rough

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.

A briefing from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust about why it is essential the £20 uplift for Universal Credit is retained.

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.

The Housing Executive is committed to effectively implementing the disability duties and this disability action plan. We will allocate resources (in terms of people, time and money) in order to effectively implement this plan and where appropriate, build objectives and targets relating to the disability duties into corporate and annual operating plans.

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.

Examines issues of rural mental health, stigma and services in four council districts in Northern Ireland.

Case studies of rural women who are making a difference in their communities.

Snapshots the position of women in rural Northern Ireland on public bodies, voluntary agencies, political representation, etc, to illustrate the low levels of representation in decision making, in the context of the Review of Public Administration (RPA). 

An indepth exploration of NIRWN's priority areas, Caring responsibilities; Rural Transport; Rural Development; Education and Training of Women; Rural Women, Poverty and the Economy and Social Isolation, Health and Wellbeing.

Provides a picture of the current rural women's infrastructure, their representation in rural community activity and decision making; the level of rural community activity for rural women; and the level of community development skills within the women's sector. Recommendations are made for DARD, Rural Women's Groups Strategy Partnership and Rural Community Network. 

The National Women's Council of Ireland's manifesto for the 2019 European elections.

The full report from Parenting NI's annual wide ranging survey.

An analysis of Islamic Feminism from the QUilliam Foundation. 

Briefing on the impact of the issues outlined in the UK Government Brexit risk report on women.

A report by Housing For All NI proposing an action plan for dealing with homelessness among destitute asylum seekers in NI.

A review carried out by Queen's University Belfast on behalf of the Department of Justice looking at the impact of 2014 criminalisation of payment for sex.

Department of Justice review of the report by QUB on the impact of the criminalisation of payment for sex.

In the world of feminist activism, the time is ripe for reflection and review. We need to ask why change is not happening, what works, and what is next. This article points to the fact that while women have made many gains in the last decade, policies that successfully promote women’s empowerment and gender equality are not institutionalised in the day-to-day routines of State, nor in international development agencies. We argue for changes which re-delineate who does what, what counts, who gets what, and who decides. We also argue for changes in the institutions that mediate resources, and women’s access, voice, and influence. We outline key challenges, as well as ways to envision change a n d strengthen the capacity of State and development organisations to deliver better on women’s rights.

The framework helps to make sense of the different ways we can address loneliness, and explains how these approaches fit together to create an effective community response. The guide offers examples of these approaches in action so that organisations can find inspiration from others.

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.

A report by Housing4All looking at the human rights abuses faced by people seeking asylum particularly in relation to housing.

This study shows that COVID-19 has unleashed hopes for change, especially in countries that have struggled most with the virus. It has also made us more aware of our shared humanity, of the value of strong local communities, and of the importance of our connection to nature.

Women who have come to the UK to seek safety are instead being made homeless, hungry and vulnerable to abuse. ‘Will I ever be safe?’ is the largest recent research into how asylum-seeking women in the UK who are made destitute survive (with no access to statutory housing, financial support or right to work).

This report from the Brexit Civil Society Alliance lays out the structural and cultural shifts that are required to truly include the voices of civil society organisations in democratic and policy-making process.

PLAN International's global report on girls and young women in modern slavery.

A report by End Pushback Partnership into human rights violations being perpetrated at Europe's borders.

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.

UN system support for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls remains critical. As this report makes clear, urgent, sustained, and coordinated action by the UN system is needed to safeguard gender equality gains and advance women’s rights and the well-being of women and girls everywhere.

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.

A global restructuring plan in light of Covid-19 created by the feminist peace activist network, Code Pink.

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

The purpose of this report is to set out the key issues, and stimulate discussion. It outlines the current state of opinion on a border poll, and the provision in law and the Agreement. It analyses the framework for a potential transition to a united Ireland that these provisions establish – and the many gaps in the framework.

The future is digital and girls must be in it, but harassment online and a lack of rights is driving them away.

Examines the impact of austerity on inequality across Europe.

Examines the impact of austerity in the housing sector across EU member states.
 

Summarises research on the impact of austerity on lone parents’ everyday lives.

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.

The ‘Call to Action: Now and the Future, COVID-19 and Gender Equality, Global Peace and Security’ paper from GAPSUK addresses the deeply gendered impact of COVID-19.

Draws on the experiences and differences that women went through alongside their male counterparts during the conflict in Northern ireland and examines the needs of women today in our post-conflict society.

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.

This report demonstrates the possibilities, showcasing the breadth of UN Women’s work on women, peace, and security in 2019, and the growing capacity to bridge immediate crises with interventions and strategies for prevention and peacebuilding that last for the long term. With comprehensive partnerships across the United Nations, Member States, and civil society, UN Women is well-positioned to respond, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, emerging from the current crisis on a path to lasting peace, justice, equality, and inclusion for all.

Looks at the key instruments, initiatives and activities related to UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, with particular focus on Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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.

This paper is a summary report on the findings and recommendations of the Reclaiming the Bonfires project.

This article focuses on the role of women in the negotiations leading to Colombia’s peace agreement, recognized as history’s most inclusive peace deal internationally.

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

Social justice movements are able to generate deep and lasting changes that policy change and development interventions alone cannot achieve. However, in many cases, women’s rights and gender justice remain low on the priorities of movements, even when women are active members. This article offers a preview of three case studies developed as part of the BRIDGE Cutting Edge programme on gender and social movements, which aims to inspire and support the inclusion of gender equality principles and practices in social justice mobilisation. The case studies feature the global human rights movement (with a focus on Amnesty International), the CLOC-Via Campesina movement in Latin America, and the Occupy movement in the United States. We summarise some of the strategies each social movement has used to encourage the integration of women’s rights and gender justice in both internal and external-facing work; discuss some of the challenges that the movements have faced in implementing these strategies; distil common lessons from the three experiences; and end by suggesting some prerequisites for positive gender transformation in social justice movements

Explores the participation of women in dealing with the past within post-conflict society, focussing on the Northern Ireland case.

Article by Italian Feminist group, F COME, exploring the connections between food and femininity and the history of female uprising.

A report by the Human Rights Commission on Women in NI prisons.

A summary of the work of the Foyle Women's Information Network.

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

In May 2020 the Women's Regional Consortium conducted a survey to collect evidence on the impact of Covid-19 and the resulting 'lockdown' on women's groups and organisations. 

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.

This is the rightup of a survey of the members of the seven partners making up the Women's Regional Consortium. The survey was concluded in April 2020. 

Asks whether money is a cause of fundamental differences in children’s outcomes.

A summary of the larger report 'Brexit: Women's Perspectives'. This summary looks at the major concerns women have regarding Brexit and lays out the WRC's recommendations for mitigation.

Summarises findings of SROI pilot projects on programmes in Belfast women’s centres and WINI.

Critically evaluates recent government delivery on children’s rights.

A round up of the work of the Women's Resource and Development Agency in August

This publication explains how the concept of intersectionality can help policy makers, lawyers and sociologists to approach discrimination and social inequalities from a systemic and structural perspective, but also to capture discrimination patterns which tend to be invisibilised or overlooked in the current legal and policy frameworks for anti-discrimination.

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

A summary of the report by the European Network Against Racism.

Report by the Muslim Women's Network UK into how Muslim women can be included equally in recruitment. 

Offers a brief history of women’s contribution to Belfast, with individual biographies of notable women.

For all the devastation it has caused, the COVID-19 crisis also represents a generational opportunity to build more inclusive economies and societies, free of the scourge of violent conflict. A concerted effort to demilitarize our world and build a feminist peace – beginning with a global ceasefire, and followed by a comprehensive reappraisal of how we allocate our resources – must be central to this vision.

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

Like so many people, I’m feeling deeply impacted by the recent events in Charlottesville. I am touched and stirred by the voices of People of Colour (like Layla Saad’s in her letter, I Need to Talk to Spiritual White Women About White Supremacy, Part One), urging White People to step forward and take their share of responsibility for changing the status quo. I am a White Person. I teach body-based paradigms and practices which I believe have a crucial role to play in transforming Western culture, and in dismantling White Supremacy. In this series of articles, I’d like to share with you why I believe that practicing embodiment — that is, slowing down and looking at how we (White People) experience and relate to our bodies — is such a necessary step towards creating a more just and equitable world.

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.

explores the relationship between Brexit and Northern Ireland

Presents the findings of a pilot Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis of two programmes within two different organisations, Ardoyne Women’s Group and Women’s Information Northern Ireland (formerly Women’s Information Group).

A guide on the issue intended for employers. Includes a sample workplace policy.