15
The current situation of gender equality
in Ireland –
Country Profile
2013
This country fiche was financed by, and prepared for the use of the European Commission, Directorate-General
Justice, Unit D2 “Gender Equality” in the framework of the service contract managed by Roland Berger Strategy
Consultants GmbH in partnership with ergo Unternehmenskommunikation GmbH & Co. KG. It does not
necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the European Commission, Directorate-General Justice neither the
Commission nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use that might be made of the
information contained in this publication.
Table of Content
Foreword ......................................................................................................... 03
Management Summary .................................................................................... 04
1. How Irish companies access the talent pool ................................................ 05
1.1 General participation of women and men in the labour market ............. 05
1.2 Part-time segregation of women and men ............................................. 06
1.3 Qualification level and choice of education of women and men .............. 08
1.4 Under-/overrepresentation of women and men in occupations or sectors
– "Horizontal segregation" ..................................................................... 10
1.5 Under-/overrepresentation of women and men in hierarchical levels –
"Vertical segregation" ............................................................................ 12
1.6 Gender pay gap ....................................................................................... 13
2. How to gain better access to the talent pool................................................. 14
2
3. Where companies find support to gain better access to the talent pool Examples .......................................................................................................... 17
Foreword
Dear Reader,
We are happy that we have raised your interest in the EU-Initiative "EQUALITY PAYS
OFF". The initiative supports large companies in successfully adapting to upcoming labour
market challenges: Due to demographic change as well as a stronger focus on service
and knowledge intensive industries, Europe will face a significant shortage of (qualified)
skills in the next decades.
To secure qualified labour, it will be of vital importance for large companies to diversify
the pool of (potential) employees by gaining better access to the female labour force.
The initiative supports companies in Europe to increase female participation, to support
employees that involuntarily work part-time due to family obligations, to motivate
1
students to enter atypical fields of education and to reduce horizontal as well as vertical
segregation2. Consequently, the initiative contributes to a reduction of the gender pay
gap in Europe.
3
The initiative covers all EU-283 countries plus Turkey, Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia (FYROM), Serbia, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – in total 34 countries.
This country report serves as background material for workshops taking place in each
4
country in the context of EQUALITY PAYS OFF. These workshops shall enhance
knowledge exchange between business leaders and key decision-makers of participating
companies. The quick and country-specific overview of the status quo will serve as a
basis to explore starting points for each company to tap the female talent pool in a better
way.
The country report is structured into four parts: After the management summary, Part 1
describes the status quo of gender equality in the Irish labour market. Part 2 describes
our recommended strategic approach to gain better access to female talent in the labour
market and within a company. Part 3 lists initiatives of the public and private sector in
Ireland that support companies in their ambition to enhance gender equality.
Further information on the EU-Initiative and its respective activities as well as on
involved stakeholders can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/justice/equality-pays-off.
1
Horizontal segregation refers to the under-/overrepresentation of women and men in occupations or sectors
Vertical segregation refers to the under-/overrepresentation of women and men in hierarchical levels
3
For statistical comparability and completeness, EU-27 data is used for all statistical indicators as EU-28 data is
not available yet
4
The information on the website has been summarised in this country report. Detailed information can be
found on the website: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/equality-pays-off
2
Management Summary
Demographic change as well as a stronger focus on service and knowledge intensive
industries will lead to a significant shortage of (qualified) skills in Europe. While trying to
fill the upcoming gap between labour demand and labour supply, companies can benefit
from improving their access to the full talent pool by ensuring gender equality.
Currently, Irish companies do not make full use of the existing female labour force
potential. Five groups of indicators show the status quo in 2012:
4
•
The employment rate of women in the Irish labour market is at 55.1% and thus
below EU-27 average (58.6%). In addition to that, the female employment rate is
still 7.6 percentage points (pp) below the male employment rate in Ireland
(62.7%).5
•
The rate of Irish women working part-time (34.9%) is above the EU-27 average
(32.1%). Also, the average weekly part-time working hours by women (18.8 hours)
are below EU-27 average (20.2 hours).6
•
The rate of secondary education attainment of Irish women is higher (73.8%)
than on EU-27 average (70.9%) and also lies above the rate of Irish men (68.5%).
The same applies to tertiary education attainment: The attainment rate for Irish
women is at 38.0%, which is clearly above the EU-27 average (25.8%) and also
above the rate of tertiary education attained by men in Ireland (31.3%).7
•
The under-/overrepresentation of women and men (horizontal segregation) in
Ireland is more pronounced regarding both sectors and occupations than in the EU27. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage graduates to consider gender atypical
sectors and occupations.8
•
The under-/overrepresentation of women and men on hierarchical levels (vertical
segregation) is distinct – the proportion of women on supervisory boards (9.0%)
is lower than the EU-27 average (16.0%). Compared to the EU-27 average (33%),
women in Ireland are also less represented in management positions (22.0%).9
The gender pay gap – the overall difference in income between women and men lies at
12.6% in Ireland in 2010 and is thereby below the EU-27 average (16.4%). Between
2006 and 2010, the gender pay gap in Ireland decreased by 4.6 pp.10 Regrettably
though, this can largely be explained by the economic crisis and the negative effects it
had especially on the male workforce.
5
Eurostat Labour Force Survey (LFS) (2013)
Eurostat Labour Force Survey (LFS) (2013)
7
Eurostat Education and Training (2013)
8
Eurostat Labour Force Survey (LFS) (2013)
9
EC DG Justice; Horizontal and vertical segregation - Meta-analysis of gender and science research (2012)
10
Source: Eurostat LFS 2013 (data from 2011)
6
1. How Irish companies access the talent pool
In the following, we give a brief overview of the current situation of employment of
women and men in Ireland in comparison to the overall EU-27 average.
1.1 General participation of women in the labour market11
Women are less represented in the Irish labour market than men. In 2012 the
employment rate of women in Ireland (55.1%) was lower than the EU-27 average of
58.6% - The Irish rate barely increased between 2002 and 2012 (0.3 pp). In 2012 the
difference between the male (62.7%) and the female employment rate was 7.6 pp.
5
Considering that this overall gap had been at 20.0 pp in 2002, it seems – at first glanceas if major progress was made. A closer look at the numbers, however, reveals that this
is mainly because men in Ireland were significantly less likely to be employed in 2012
than they were in 2002 (difference of 12.7 pp). Therefore, the decreasing difference
between the employment rates of women and men needs to be viewed in the light of the
financial and economic crisis, which in Ireland hit male dominated fields such as
construction12 particularly hard. This is reflected in the male unemployment rates which
almost quadrupled between 2002 (4.7%) and 2012 (18.1%). However, women were also
affected by the economic and financial crisis: the female unemployment rate rose by 7.3
pp between 2002 (3.8%) and 2012 (11.1%). All in all, the Irish unemployment rate is
above the EU-27 average for both genders.
The general participation rate (the sum of employment rate and unemployment rate) of
women in the Irish labour market was at 66.2% in 2012, thus marking an increase of 7
pp since 2002, even though the male general participation rate (80.8%) was still
significantly above that of women (difference of 14.6 pp). Again, it can be suggested that
this positive development needs to be viewed in the context of the economic and
financial crisis: Since male unemployment spiralled between 2002 and 2012 and wages
in many sectors were reduced 13, it is likely that the male breadwinner model was no
longer considered a feasible option by many Irish families and consequently more and
more women entered the labour market.
Figure 1: Labour market participation of women and men in Ireland in comparison to the EU-27
11
12
13
Source for statistical data (unless stated otherwise): Eurostat Labour Force Survey (LFS) (2002, 2011)
Source: http://www.worldfinancialreview.com/?p=874 (2013)
Source: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/studies/tn1203015s/ie1203019q.htm (2012)
1.2 Part-time segregation14
Compared to the EU-27 average (32.1% for women and 8.4% for men), part-time rates
in Ireland were higher for both women and men in 2012. Both rates increased
significantly over the past decade: The female part-time rate in Ireland (34.9% in 2012)
went up by 4.5 pp since 2002, the male part-time rate (13.3% in 2012) rose by 7.3 pp.
In terms of part-time working hours the numbers show a mixed picture compared to the
EU-27 average of 20.2 hours per week for women and 19.0 hours per week for men. On
average, Irish women work 18.6 hours per week, which equals 50.7% of full-time
working hours and thus fewer hours than on EU-27 average. Irish men work 19.9 hours
per week (48.7% of full-time working hours) and thus slightly more than on EU-27
average. From 2002 to 2011 the part-time working hours rose for both genders.
6
Figure 2: Part-time segregation in Ireland in comparison to the overall EU-27
14
Source for statistical data (unless stated otherwise): Eurostat Labour Force Survey (LFS) (2002, 2010, 2011)
The use of childcare services in Ireland is less common than on EU-27 average. 21.0% of
children between zero and three years receive external childcare: 10.0% of them are
enrolled in childcare for less than 30 hours per week and 11.0% receive 30 or more
hours of childcare per week. The EU-27 average in this age group is at 15% for both
categories of childcare.
Children aged between 3 years and school age are significantly more likely to receive
childcare than their younger peers: In 2011, 82% of children between three years and
school age were enrolled in formal childcare. This is in line with the EU-27 average which
is at 84%. However, while 68.0% of children in that age group receive childcare for less
than 30 hours per week, only 14% participate for 30 hours or more per week. This is
substantially below the EU-27 average of 47%.
The comparatively little usage of extensive childcare services in Ireland can partially be
explained by the relatively high part-time rates of women and men.
7
Figure 3: Childcare arrangements in Ireland in comparison to the EU-27
1.3 Qualification level and choice of education 15
With regards to both secondary and tertiary education attainment, women in Ireland
outperform their male peers and the EU-27 average for women.
The rate of secondary education attainment in Ireland rose substantially for both men
and women between 2002 and 2012. The rate for Irish women attaining secondary
education increased from 62.3% in 2002 to 73.8% in 2012 (difference of 11.5 pp). Thus
it not only exceeded the rate for men in Ireland (68.5%) but also the female EU-27
average of 70.9%.
This pattern largely persists with regards to tertiary education attainment: The share of
Irish women who attained tertiary education rose from 23.3% in 2002 to 38.0% in 2012
(increase of 14.7%). For Irish men, the share rose from 20.8% in 2002 to 31.3% in 2012
(increase of 10.5%). Hence, the rate of tertiary education attainment in Ireland is higher
than on EU-27 average for both genders (25.8% for women and 23.1% for men).
Compared to the EU-27 average, these numbers show that Ireland is doing well in terms
of education and develops a highly-skilled workforce.
8
Figure 4: Education attainment in Ireland in comparison to the EU-27
15
Source for statistical data (unless stated otherwise): Eurostat Education and Training (2002, 2010, 2011)
The existence of "typical" female fields of study as well as "typical" male fields of study is
predominant in Ireland. With few exceptions the distribution of education choices mirrors
the EU-27 averages: "Health and Welfare", "Teaching, training and education science" as
well as "Humanities and arts" remain popular fields of study for women, all with a female
student share of above 60%. On the other hand, men in Ireland as well as in the EU-27
are most dominant in "Engineering, manufacturing and construction" as well as in
"sciences, maths and computing", both with more than 60% male students. It is
noteworthy that although "Engineering, manufacturing and construction" is also strongly
male dominated in the EU-27, male domination in this field is even more prevalent in
Ireland: the share of women in Ireland is almost half compared to the female proportion
on the EU-27 average (14.8% in Ireland vs. 25.7% in the EU-27). In the EU-27 and in
Ireland, it seems that women highly value options to work part-time and therefore
choose their education accordingly.
9
Figure 5: Share of women in different fields of education in Ireland in comparison to the EU-27
1.4 Under-/overrepresentation of women and men in occupations or sectors –
"Horizontal segregation"16
Overall horizontal segregation in Ireland is more pronounced than on EU-27 average. In
order to compare the extent of horizontal segregation in Ireland with the overall EU-27
average, two horizontal segregation indicators are calculated: (1) The Sectoral Gender
Segregation Indicator (SGS)17 and (2) the Occupational Gender Segregation Indicator
(OGS):

The extent of sectoral gender segregation (SGS) in Ireland (5.6 pp) is slightly
above the EU-27 level (5.3 pp). This means that women in Ireland are more likely
to be found in gender typical sectors than on EU-27 average.

The extent of occupational gender segregation (OGS) in Ireland (5.2 pp) is also
higher than the overall OGS of the EU-27 (4.6 pp). This means that women in
Ireland are more likely to be found in gender typical occupations than on EU-27
average.
10
Figure 6: Horizontal Gender Segregation Indicators
16
Source for statistical data (unless stated otherwise): Eurostat Labour Force Survey (2010)
Comparing the share of female employees that work in one economic sector to the share of male employees
that work in the respective economic sector shows the extent of gender segregation in that specific economic
sector. For instance, the sector "Activities of the household as employers " is marked by a strong gender
segregation: 6.0% of Turkish female employees work in the sector, while only 0.9% of Turkish male employees
work in the sector (difference in percentage points: 5.1 pp). The Sectoral Gender Segregation Indicator (SGS)
reflects the weighted average difference in absolute percentage points (share of all male employees in an
economic sector [%] minus share of all female employees in resp. economic sector [%]) across all economic
sectors.
17
Gender segregation in sectors is pronounced in Ireland. 65.7% of men and 53.0% of
women are working in their respective top-5 favourite sectors. Two of the sectors
("Manufacturing" and "Wholesale & Retail") overlap between the genders. They account
for 23.0% of the female and 29.3% of the male workforce. Therefore, the considerably
high SGS in Ireland evolves from all remaining economic sectors. When taking a closer
look at the other main sectors of employment, one can see that the main sector of
employment for women in both Ireland and the EU-27 is "Health care and social work".
22.8% of Irish women are working in this sector. On the other hand, there is a male
dominance in the sectors of "Manufacturing" (15.0% of Irish men) and "Construction"
(9.9% of Irish men) - "Health Care and Social Work" is not even listed in the Top five
sectors for men.
11
Figure 7: Distribution of Employment in the main NACE-2 digit sectors (2012)
When looking at the top five occupations of the Irish workforce, differences between
women and men can be observed. For women, occupations such as "personal service
workers", "clerks" or "sales workers" account for 43.5% of the overall female workforce.
Men, on the other hand, are predominant in technical and managerial occupations (e.g.
"Administrative and commercial managers", 10.1%, "Building and related trades
workers", 8.8%). In addition to that, women are significantly less diversified across
occupations than men, which indicates that the female labour market is denser. 59.8% of
Irish women work in the most favourite five occupations, whereas this applies to only
40.1% of Irish men.
Figure 8: Distribution of Employment in the main ISCO 3-digit occupations (2010)
1.5 Under-/overrepresentation of women and men in hierarchical levels –
"Vertical segregation"18
Vertical segregation, i.e. the underrepresentation of women in economic decision-making
positions, is more pronounced in Ireland than in the EU-27.
In 2012, 9% of Irish corporate board members were women. This share is lower than on
EU-27 average (16%). Whereas the EU-27 average increased by 7 pp between 2003 and
2012, the share of women on corporate boards in Ireland could only catch up by 2 pp in
the same time period.
One can observe similar developments regarding management positions in large
companies and SMEs. The share of women in management positions in Ireland was about
22% in 2010, which is clearly below the EU-27 average of 33%. The trend in Ireland
between 2003 and 2010 developed similarly to the trend in the EU-27: Over 7 years, the
female share of managers increased by 3 pp in Ireland and by 2 pp in the EU-27.
In conclusion it can be said that even though vertical segregation in Ireland has improved
alongside with the European trend, the low starting position and rather slow
improvement take their toll.
12
Figure 9: Women in economic decision-making positions
18
Source for statistical data (unless stated otherwise): EC DG Justice; Horizontal and vertical segregation Meta-analysis of gender and science research, (2010, 2012)
1.6 Gender pay gap19
In Ireland, the average female employee earns 12.6% less per year than the average
male employee. Thus, the gender pay gap in Ireland is lower than on EU-27 average
(16.4% in 2010 and 16.2% in 2011).
Between 2006 and 2010, the gender pay gap dropped by 4.6 pp and thus outperformed
the development of the EU-27. This, however, needs to be considered with caution
because the development is linked to the effects of the economic and financial crisis that
influenced the Irish economy. As outlined above, male-dominated sectors, such as
engineering and construction, were hit hardest by the crisis. Subsequently, temporary
employment contracts – often provided in construction and manufacturing – were often
dropped or not prolonged which led to spiralling unemployment rates. Therefore, it can
be said that - even though women were also affected - the economic and financial crisis
dominantly concerned the male workforce more, which ultimately played its part in the
recent developments regarding the gender pay gap in Ireland.
13
Figure 10: Unadjusted gender pay gap
19
Source: Eurostat LFS 2013 (data from 2011)
2. How to gain better access to the talent pool?
More gender equality within the business sector and a reduction of the gender pay gap
can only be sustainably realised if companies follow a comprehensive approach including
corporate strategy, management, operational implementation by business units and HR
work organisation and monitoring ("strategic pillars"):
14
Focusing on one pillar will lead to partial improvements only.
Corporate Strategy – Establish gender equality as part of the company's DNA
The corporate strategy sets the framework for doing business and determines the
internal work culture. Experience shows that gender equality – in order to be sustainably
established – has to be(come) a company rationale: The concept of gender equality has
to be an integral part of the overall corporate strategy. This is the foundation for
successfully addressing the gender pay gap within a company.
Management and executives – Understand and position management as driver
and role model
A management which is convinced of and fully endorses the company's strategy towards
gender equality is vital to sustainably establish and live the principles of equality between
women and men throughout the company and contribute to a sustainable reduction of
the gender pay gap. The management is responsible for the implementation of the
corporate strategy. Also, managers act as role models and multipliers within and outside
the company.
Operational implementation – Business units and HR striving for more gender equality in daily work
•
•
Business units are responsible for operationalising strategic targets regarding gender
equality by actually implementing measures which have been agreed upon in their
daily work, e.g. by offering internships. They contribute to a sustainable attraction,
retention and development of employees.
HR – as central point of contact for human resource issues of business units – offers
strategic advice on how to address gender equality sustainably and provides
instruments and processes to attract, retain and develop top talent, e.g. by
designing regular evaluation processes.
There are six main fields of action for operational implementation:
•
•
•
15
•
•
•
Raise awareness among high school students regarding the full spectrum of
education and training options - To enlarge the potential talent pool, companies
need to sensitise high school graduates regarding the full spectrum of fields of
education and hereby motivate them to also consider gender "atypical" fields of
specialisation.
Attract top talent – To attract top talent, companies need to build up a relationship
with talented graduate students early on and show them how it is to work in their
company. Additionally, they need to tap the dormant work force by mobilising
women to start working.
Strengthen the work-life balance – To retain the talent pool, companies need to
motivate talents to continue working, to return early from leave and to facilitate the
career advancement of employees with family care obligations.
Promote the career advancement of women - To promote the most qualified
female employees, companies need to establish a culture and promotion process that
equally honours male and female talent and institutionalise a systematic succession
planning.
Evaluate the remuneration system - To attract and retain female employees,
companies need to evaluate and – if necessary – adapt their remuneration system to
eliminate discriminatory practices.
Support the company's internal and external communications - To maximise
the positive impact of their efforts to champion gender equality, companies need to
communicate their actions enhancing corporate gender equality internally and
externally.
Work Organisation – Create 'modern' working conditions
Often, workflows within the company are organised in a way which does not easily allow
for necessary changes towards more gender equality. This especially refers to the
flexibility of the working environment. In the context of this project, flexibility comprises
working hours, workplace options and work arrangements. It is therefore vital to
evaluate the organisation of current business activities and requirements systematically
and identify room for change in favour of employees but beneficial for both parties
(employers and employees).
Monitoring – Monitor and follow up target achievements
To ensure that gender equality is taken seriously, companies need to monitor gender
equality targets in the same way as financial targets. Monitoring should include indicators
that measure company-wide progress regarding corporate efforts to enhance gender
equality as well as the success of individual managers in promoting gender equality in
their departments/teams. Additionally, it should be part of regular feedback talks with
the top management.
16
17
3. Where companies find support to gain better access to the talent pool - Examples
In order to foster a sustainable change towards accessing the labour force potential of women in a better way, a series of public and private
initiatives – with legislative and non-legislative focus - have been implemented in Ireland. In the following we give an overview over sample
initiatives:
3.1 Legislative initiatives (examples)
Year
Legislation
Website Link
1994
Maternity Protection of Employees Act
http://www.basis.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=1
2823&ecategory=12908&sectionpage=10339&lan
guage=EN&page=&link=link001&doc=10758&docl
istid=21058&logname=The
1995
Adoptive Leave Act
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment
/employment_rights_and_conditions/leave_and_h
olidays/adoptive_leave.html
1998
Employment Equality Act
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment
/equality_in_work/equality_authority.html
1998
Parental Leave Act
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment
/employment_rights_and_conditions/leave_and_h
olidays/parental_leave.html
2000
Equal Status Act
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/act/pub/0
008/index.html
2005
Social Welfare Act
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2005/en/act/pub/0
026/index.html
18
3.2 Public non-legislative initiatives (examples)
Name
Sponsor
Target Group
Target
Website Link
Equality Authority
Department of Justice and Equality

Companies
Outlaw discrimination in employment,
vocational training, advertising
http://www.equality.ie/en/
About-Us/
Equality for Women
Measure 2008-2013
European Social Fund



Disadvantaged women
Female entrepreneurs
Women in management
positions
Develop female entrepreneurship
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/J
ELR/Pages/EWM


Government
Legislators
Foster the achievement of true
equality between women and men in
Ireland
Gender Equality Division
Department of Justice and Equality
Foster women as decision-makers
Help with development for women in
employment
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/J
ELR/Pages/Privacy_policy
Implement specific commitments in
the Program for Government on
gender equality
Oversee implementation of the
National Women’s Strategy
Monitor national and international
commitments on gender equality
Report on gender equality issues for
which other Government departments
and State agencies are responsible
National Women's
Strategy 2007-2016
Department of Justice, Equality and Law



Labour organizations
Legislators
Women
Support women at work, be it in the
economy or at home as careers
Ensure women's well-being and to
encourage them to make a
contribution as active citizens and
decision-makers
http://www.justice.ie/en/JE
LR/Pages/PB07000395
19
3.3 Private initiatives (examples)
Name
Sponsor
Target Group
Target
Website Link
Chamber Ireland's
Corporate Social
Responsibility Awards
Chambers of Ireland


Recognize the work being carried out
by Irish and multinational companies
to improve the lives of their
employees and to enhance the civic
environment in which they operate
http://www.chambers.ie/in
dex.php?id=712
Companies
Organizations
Promote work-life balance and
employee diversity
Gender balance at the
top of organisations
Irish Business and Employers
Confederation

Companies
Promote female managers and
diversity in companies
Present HR best practices
http://www.ibec.ie/IBEC/ES
.nsf/vPages/HR_best_practi
ce~Diversity_and_the_inte
grated_workplace~genderbalance-at-the-top-oforganisations?OpenDocume
nt
Supporting Women
Entrepreneurs Locally"
("SWELL")
Longford Women In Business Network

(Potential) female
entrepreneurs
Promote women entrepreneurs on a
local level
http://longfordwomenslink.
org/index.php
Women in science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics
Membership fees

Women
Organise networking opportunities,
with regular events through the year
where like-minded women and men
can exchange experiences and ideas
http://witsireland.com/cms
Organise projects to make a
difference to the number of women
recruited, retained and returned to
the STEM workforce