ireland and society, lecture 6: inequality and social justice

… Matheson attorney Dualta Counihan has served as a director of at least 274 entities, based on Irish records, while attorney George Brady has served as a director of at least 232 entities.

“As understood by the Financial Regulator, ‘principles-based’

regulation relied very heavily on making sure that appropriate

governance structures and systems were in place in banks and

building societies.

Honohan Report on the Irish banking crisis, May 2010, p.44.




building societies.

To this extent, the underlying philosophy was oriented towards

trusting a properly governed firm; it was potentially only a short

step from that trust to the emergence of a somewhat diffident

attitude on the part of the regulators so far as challenging the

decisions of firms was concerned.





building societies.

To this extent, the underlying philosophy was oriented towards

trusting a properly governed firm; it was potentially only a short

step from that trust to the emergence of a somewhat diffident

attitude on the part of the regulators so far as challenging the

decisions of firms was concerned.

[Also], legislation set as a statutory objective of the [central

bank and financial regulator] the promotion of the financial

services industry in Ireland, the situation was ripe for the

emergence of a rather accommodating stance vis-à-vis credit

institutions.”


Gender and Caring

Notes on Lynch and Lyons, ‘The Gendered Order of Caring’ in

Ursula Barry (ed) Where Are We Now? New Feminist Perspectives

on Women in Contemporary Ireland (Dublin: Tasc, 2008)

There are deep gender inequalities in the doing of care and love work that operate to the advantage of men.

It is women’s unwaged labour and related domestic labour that frees men up to exercise control in the public sphere of politics, the economy and culture.

… there is a moral imperative on women to do care work that does not apply equally to men ; a highly gendered moral code impels women to do the greater part of primary caring, with most believing they have no choice in the matter.

The Irish government collects data on unpaid caring within households in

1. the Census

2. the Quarterly Household Survey (QNHS).

Within the Census, care is defined as being given by ‘persons aged 15yrs and over who provide regular unpaid help for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability (including problems due to age). P.167-8

According to the [2006] Census there are less than 150,000 people, 5 per cent of the adult population in unpaid care work (mostly with adults) of whom 61 per cent are women and 39 per cent are men.

However, when we measure all types of caring activity, as has been done in the European Community household Panel (ECPH) we see that there are 1 million people who do caring who are not named in the census.

Even though it is no doubt unintentional, the failure to collect data on hours spent on child care work in the Census, means that child care, which is the major form of care work in Irish society, is no counted in terms of work hours.

… women are almost five times as likely to work long care hours than is the case for men.

Women spend much more time at care work than men, even when they are employed.

Closing down of Dissent - Attacks on Equality in Ireland

Equality Bodies – closed down or with reduced Budgets

Combat Poverty Agency –closed 2008 incorporated into the Department of Social Protection

Equality Authority – 2009 43% cut and now being merged with the Human Rights Commission

Women’s Health Council – closed 2009

Crisis Pregnancy Agency – closed and merged with the Health Service Executive

Irish Human Rights Commission -Budget cuts since 2009 and merged with Equality Authority

Equality for Women Measure - co-funded by EU Operational Programme ---budget partly transferred out of this area and now under Dept. For Enterprise, Trade and Employment

National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) _Closed 2009

Gender Equality desk at the Department (Ministry) of Justice, Equality and Law Reform – Desk Closed 2009

Gender Equality Unit – Department of Education – Closed early 2000s

Higher Education Equality Unit – UCC -Closed and merged into Higher Education Authority (early 2000s)

National Women’s Council of Ireland -158 member organisations- budget cuts of 15% in 2008-11 and 38% in 2012

Traveller Education cutbacks 2011 and 2012 – all 42 Visiting teaches for Travellers removed*

Rape Crisis Network Ireland – core Health Authority Funding removed 2011

SAFE Ireland network of Women’s’ Refuges - core Health Authority Funding removed 2011

People With Disabilities in Ireland's (PWDI) - funding removed 2012

National Carers’ Strategy – abandoned 2009

Kathleen Lynch, Equality Studies UCD

School of Social Justice 47

‘…no matter which

measurement of

poverty is used,

Ireland lies in the

worst third of the

EU 27 for its

performance in

tackling poverty and

for income

inequality.” p.95

…despite some progress since the 1990s, there is now a clear rise

in consistent poverty over 2008-9… The data for relative income

inequality show that the increasing equality often celebrated is

illusory; rather, income inequality is deeply embedded and the

Celtic Tiger did little to shift it.” p.98.

“Since the 1980s… the bottom decile’s share increased by a mere 0.11 per

cent, while that of the top decile increased by a very significant 1.34 per

cent. [Social Justice Ireland] conclude that ‘the gap between the top 10 per

cent of households and all the rest of society has widened over these years.”

p.99

“…while the crisis has hit all classes, Ó Riain (2009) observes a disastrous

collapse in working-class employment. There are growing differences

between the position of those with third-level education and those without.”

p.101

“Those for whom the principal economic status of the head of the

household is home duties (primarily female carers and lone parents),

unemployed and low paid workers, comprise almost three quarters of

poor households…

The Celtic Tiger period saw a significant redistribution of income from

workers to businesses… in the 2001-06 period it fell to 56.4 per cent of

GDP, from 78 per cent in the 1960-70 period.” p.102.

“…Unemployment leaves people stressful and unhappy… loss of self-esteem,

fatalism and loss of control over daily life.

[There are] huge implications of long-term unemployment, with people

working through a cycle of loss similar to bereavement (disbelief, anger,

depression, acceptance) eventually adjusting to a life cycle of

unemployment.” p.104

[Women] are the real losers [since 2008], bearing the brunt of cuts in public

services, on which they are more reliant.

“Women do 86 per cent of child supervision, 69 per cent of playing with and

reading to children, 82 per cent of care to adults, 80 per cent of cooking, 86

per cent of cleaning and 70 per cent of shopping.” p.105

Poverty compounds this inequality of care.

THE WINNERS

The average pay of CEOs in the largest

21 companies was €1.1 million in

2007, and actually rose to €2.1 million

in 2009 – a 46 per cent pay increase.

p.118

2007 Bank of Ireland wealth report:

5 per cent of the population owned

two-thirds of Irish wealth.

The gross wealth of the top 1 per cent

was €100 billion.

Excluding property – 1 per cent owned

34 per cent of Irish wealth. p.119

“People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social)are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living that is regardedas acceptable by Irish society generally.

As a result of inadequate income and resources people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities that are considered the norm for other people in society.”

(2007) National Action Plan for Social Inclusion2007-2016

POVERTY LINE – 60% of median disposable income

2011 – median disposable income : €348.05 per week ($466 per week)

60% - €208.80 per week ($278 per week)

Food poverty is defined as suffering from one of the following deprivation experiences:

• Missed a meal in the last two weeks due to a lack of money

• Cannot afford a meal with meat or vegetarian equivalent every second day

• Cannot afford a roast or vegetarian equivalent once a week