Engendering economic statistics

General issues

Gerry Brady, CSO Ireland

Objective

• Issue is equal opportunity to work and equal conditions rather than equal employment rates

• Individual discretion to make personal life choices with regard to employment are important – societal conventions restrict these

Environment barriers

• In disability, environmental barriers are factors such as inaccessible transport, no lifts, lack of special tuition etc.

• These are the problems rather than the problem being a wheelchair or having a learning difficulty

Gender work barriers

e.g.

• Attitudes of other people

• Factors limiting educational attainment

• Inequal access to transport

• Imposed care obligations

• Expected role in family life

Barriers within paid employment

• Inflexible working arrangments

• Work consequences of having a baby

• Limited IT access to workplace from home

• Attitudes of work colleagues

• Lack of women in managerial and decision-making positions within the company

Consequences for women

• Lower employment rates

• Lower pay

• Less satisfying work

• Pensions pressure towards later retirement if earlier absences from work

Specific topics

• Self-employment and entrepreneurship

• Occupations

• Pay and Working hours

• Formal vs informal employment

• Social security & pension contributions

• Employment security

• Decision-making

Entrepreneurship

Issues

• Willingness to become an entrepreneur

• Economic areas women become entrepreneurs in

• State and loan funding for women entrepreneurs

• Access to networks

Specific topics ctd.

• The relevance and importance of specific employment varies depending on the economic and statistical development of the country