A new study has revealed persistent gender disparities in labour market participation and working conditions in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

The new study reveals that one quarter of women in Ireland, and 21% of women in Northern Ireland, were classified as low-paid, earning less than two-thirds of the median hourly pay. 

The figure for men was 18% in Ireland and 14% in Northern Ireland.

The study was published this week as part of a research programme between the Department of the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit and the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute).

In its assessment of barriers to employment in both jurisdictions, the report highlights significant differences in low pay, working from home, and hours of work between women and men.

The study also reveals that women living in Ireland work longer hours than those living in Northern Ireland, while women in Northern Ireland were less likely to work from home, which is due to their over-representation in jobs in health, education and front-line public administration and part-time jobs.

When taking account of factors such as education, sector, and age, women in both Ireland and Northern Ireland were consistently more likely to be low-paid compared to men. Notably, higher education offered strong protection against low pay in both jurisdictions.

Access to affordable early childhood care and education remains a key issue as well as expanding after-school care for parents with older children.

Report author Garance Hingre said labour market inclusion is a key component of gender equality: “Women experience common disadvantages in the labour market across the island of Ireland. Yet the scale and nature of gender differences are also shaped by national policies and demographics. Comparing neighbouring systems offers an opportunity for mutual policy learning.”

The study, drawing on data for 2022 and a consultation with stakeholders, found that the gendered nature of care responsibilities poses challenges for women’s access to high-quality employment, and is a feature common to both jurisdictions. 

Fórsa official with responsibility for the union's equality comittee Ashley Connolly said the study’s findings bears out the lived experience of women across the Irish workforce, and said unions continue to play a vital role in overcoming barriers to well-paid employment and creating conditions to eliminate gendered disparities in the workplace: “This new study is timely and reveals more about the gender pay gap.

“It provides policy makers with genuinely useful data, as well as a challenge to overcome the obvious disparities.

“Organising women in the workplace remains the key to building their power and, ultimately, to making improvements in access to early childhood care and education. This continues to be a challenge for unions, and this study helps workers to identify the priorities for achieving genuine equality,” she said.

The full study is available here.

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