Putting the WELL into Welfare – Women have their say

Published: Wednesday, May 06, 2009

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) will call on government to radically change the social welfare system at an event this Friday in Limerick, to ensure greater equality between women and men. The event: 'Putting the Well into Welfare - Women having their say' will bring to light the experiences of women from Cork, Kerry, Galway, Clare, Tipperary, Limerick & Dublin who have been discriminated against by the current social welfare system and whose lives are negatively affected as a result.

Describing the background to the event, Orla O'Connor, NWCI Head of Policy stated: ' In our current economic recession and global financial crisis, the opportunity arises for new economic and social systems to be developed which reflect the realities of both women's and men's lives.'

The NWCI has been driving a campaign to change the social welfare system since 2001, which has focused on ending the discrimination of women within the system, recognising care work, recognising the working patterns of women and creating a modern welfare system that recognises women as individuals in their own right (and not as dependents or 'qualified adults').

' The event on Friday is about holding political representatives to account on this issue,' continued Ms O'Connor, 'All political parties have expressed concerns about the discriminatory structure of the social welfare system to the NWCI, but very little has been done to bring about change.'

'It is high time for government to recognise the continuing fundamental discrimination that exists in the system, which continues the status of adult dependants and does not recognise the care work done by women for social insurance entitlement. It is important that the voices of women directly affected by this system are listened to and heard by government. There are currently 147,000 qualified adults in this country, 95% of which are women. This is an issue that is of significant importance to women in the run up to the local elections next month. Government would do well to acknowledge this,' concluded Ms O'Connor