Survey dismisses equality 'myth'

The disproportionate burden of care work has left women economically dependent and under-represented in decision making, the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) has said.

The notion that work in the home is becoming evenly distributed among the sexes is a myth, the NWCI said.

A new NWCI publication launched today entitled Who Cares? Challenging the Myths about Gender and Care in Irelandcollates statistics from a number of national and EU official sources which demonstrate the unfair burden of domestic work on women.

It shows women were responsible for 86 per cent of child supervision, 82 per cent of care of adults and 80 per cent of cooking.

The statistics show the excessive burden of care duties damages women's health, effects their employment, reduces their leisure time in comparison to men and effects their pension entitlements.

Women comprise 70 per cent of people in their 30s who are full time carers in the home for adults with long-term illnesses or disabilities. Being a full-time carer during working age year deprives women of the opportunity to earn wages and provide for their pensions.

Almost one third of carers said their own health had suffered because of care work. Half found their care work stressful and four in 10 said they experienced emotional strain and or lack of sleep.

For men, having children has almost no impact on their employment rate. In contrast approximately six in every 10 women with children are employed, compared to almost nine in every 10 women without children.

Women who are excluded from the workforce because of their care duties are also excluded from the social insurance system, the NWCI says, and consequently have much lower pension entitlements.

The NWCI also relaunched its website today with a new logo by designer Alison Burns.