The document discusses poverty and inequality in Ireland. It notes that despite economic growth in the 1990s and 2000s, income inequality remained high and poverty increased from 2008-2009. Three-quarters of people in poverty are in working poor households, unemployed, or reliant on low incomes. While most suffered in the economic downturn, women have borne the brunt of cuts to public services and continue to take on most unpaid care work. A small wealthy elite saw their incomes and wealth increase greatly. The document defines poverty as inadequate income to participate in a basic standard of living considered acceptable in Ireland.

14. … 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.

15. “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.

16. “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.
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.
Honohan Report on the Irish banking crisis, May 2010, p.44.

17. “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.
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.”
Honohan Report on the Irish banking crisis, May 2010, p.44.

39. 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)

40. 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.

41. 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

42. 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.

43. 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.

47. 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

49. ‘…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

50. …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.

51. “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

52. “…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

53. “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.

54. “…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.

55. 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

58. “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 regarded
as 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 Inclusion
2007-2016

59. 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)

63. 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