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Campaigns

November Awareness Campaign

Since November 2016, we have staged an annual campaign to raise awareness of the gender pay gap and broader issues around gender inequality in the workplace – and develop solutions to address these. This is the core of our campaigning work: focusing on the practical solutions that can be taken by Government, employers and society as a whole and that have real and impactful outcomes.

Currently, the gender pay gap in Ireland stands at 11.3%. This means that, across the workforce, women earn – on average – 11.3% less than men for every hour they work.

We mark Equal Pay Day each November to highlight the gender pay gap and related issues. In 2022, Equal Pay Day falls on Monday, 21st November – the date on which women in Ireland effectively stop earning, relative to men, because of our gender pay gap.

In addition  to marking Equal Pay Day and running our annual awareness-raising campaign each November, WorkEqual campaigns at all levels of politics, industry and civil society for full gender equality in the workplace. Over the years, we have engaged with policymakers at local, national and international levels, as well as holding large events for employers, politicians and civil society representatives to develop solutions to current workforce inequalities.

For details on current campaign activities and the most up-to-date information, head to the news section of our website.

At WorkEqual, our campaigning work focuses on five key areas which arose from the 2019 WorkEqual conference report, which can be accessed in full here.

WorkEqual All-Party Oireachtas Group

The WorkEqual All-Party Oireachtas Group was established in 2017 and is a working group of TDs and Senators who meet to discuss policy and legislative changes that can progress full gender equality in the workplace. WorkEqual established the group with founding member Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee who now serves as co-chair along with Deputy Ivana Bacik and Senator Emer Currie.

WorkEqual meet regularly with the group which is open to all members of the Oireachtas to join.

International Women’s Day

Championing women is at the heart of our work every day at WorkEqual. Every year, on International Women’s Day, we mark the occasion by organising very special events celebrating women, and holding our largest fundraiser of the year.

We welcome everyone to get involved, whether you’re an individual, group, club, society, organisation or workplace, to support us in reaching more women and drive greater change.

For expressions of interest, or to get involved in partnering with us, click here.

Latest Campaigns

International Women’s Day

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5 Key Areas

Key area number 1.

Caring Responsibilities:

We are advocating for an Ireland where family caring duties are properly recognised and facilitated by employers and policymakers. We want:

  • A better childcare system to ensure parents can fully participate in the workforce – and our children can avail of quality early years care and education.
  • The creation of wage bands for professional carers to ensure a well-resourced, high-quality and sustainable sector – and to address the caring burden for working women and men.
  • Workplace incentive schemes to encourage men to take up and share unpaid caring and domestic duties.
  • Optional shared parental leave in the first year of a baby’s life.
  • The introduction of a legal requirement for employers to disclose their policies on maternity, paternity and parental leave, and associated supports.

Key area number 2.

Societal gender norms:

Gender stereotyping is a major factor that impacts on workplace inequalities. We are calling for:

  • A government review of the education curriculum to eradicate any gender stereotyping in relation to caring responsibilities and employment.
  • Unconscious bias training for all teachers; and scholarships aimed at attracting more men into the teaching profession.

Key area number 3.

Flexible working:

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, more employers have realised the benefits of flexible work options, including remote working. WorkEqual has called for more flexible work options for many years and we continue to work with employers to encourage and showcase progress in this area.

Key area number 4.

Women in Leadership:

To effectively tackle gender inequality, we need more women in positions of leadership – across all sectors. We want to see:

  • Target-led employment initiatives in sectors where women are under-represented.
  • A State-driven quality assurance mark for organisations that demonstrate deep gender parity and a framework to strive towards equality.
  • Better access to credit for self-employed women, with State support for female entrepreneurs, including a State guarantor credit scheme.

Key area number 5.

Gender pay gap:

Legislation compelling employers in Ireland to disclose their gender pay gaps was enacted in 2021. This was a major success for WorkEqual after five years of campaigning on this issue. As the legislation comes into force over the coming months and years, we want to ensure:

  • The new law not only focuses on compliance, but also on incentivising employers to make meaningful progress in tackling the gender pay gap, i.e. by being required to submit an action plan to close their gender pay gaps at the same time as making their disclosure.
  • The rollout of an effective public awareness campaign that really educates people about what the pay gap is; and why it is important to measure it. This campaign should dispel myths and confusion about the gender pay gap and ensure widespread support for tackling it.

 

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