Gender equality has been on the agenda in some aspects for many organisations and policy-makers in recent years and despite appearing to have made some positive strides, it seems that women are still feeling the pressure of trying to balance home and work life – trying to do it all and feeling the knock-on effect. As we approach a historic referendum on family and the role of women in the home, we look at four aspects of women’s lives in Ireland today.
Key themes that emerge include the need for women to take more control over their long-term financial wellbeing, evidence that behavioural patterns in the home are changing, a strong desire for gender equality in work and sport, and the importance of female role models in working and sporting life.
Financial security and confidence
Women appear to be in a less financially secure position than men – particularly when it comes to ownership of financial products such as savings, long-term investments and pensions, despite wanting to own these products.
Women very much plan and manage the day-to-day finances in the household, and this is particularly true for older females.
Moving away from the day-to-day finances, women appear to feel less confident. They are less likely to be key decision makers in larger or longer-term financial decisions.
Balancing work and life
Care remains a predominant female responsibility – with many more women than men saying they are the main carer in their household. However, it appears that responsibility for household duties (cooking, cleaning, etc.) is becoming more equal between the genders for younger generations.
Women appear to be under more pressure when it comes to balancing work and home – with more females finding it difficult to take time off work to look after family affairs.
Women are also more likely to feel that their career could suffer because of trying to balance home and worklife. And they are twice as likely to feel that their gender holds them back when applying for jobs compared to men.
1 in 5 of those in work say they wouldn’t recommend their place of work to a female relative or friend. Those that currently have a female manager are more likely to recommend their place of work.
Sports and Lifestyle
Men are more likely than women to get the recommended level of exercise, whereas women are more likely to stick to the recommended number of weekly alcohol-free days.
Males are significantly more likely to ever have participated in team sports, compared to females.
Females who currently play team sports tend to drop off when they enter their mid-twenties, dropping from 33% of 18-24-year-olds, to 22% of 35-54-year-olds.
Mood of the nation
The cost of living is still dominating as an important issue to be addressed, with gender equality seen as the least pressing issue in Ireland at the moment. This is despite there being relatively high agreement that the gender pay gap needs to be addressed (6 in 10).
A sense of stabilisation in terms of economic sentiment is evident this quarter, with some shoots of optimism for the year ahead. Reflecting this, there has been an increase in those reporting feeling positive emotions, with levels of positivity towards the year ahead recovering to those seen in summer 2023.
In addition, there is a drop in those reporting being worse off compared to last year as there was a decline in those who believe they will be worse off in 12 months, and an increase in those who feel they will be in a better financial situation in that time-frame.
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