How is Ireland’s government working towards workplace gender inclusion? SDG 5 aims to: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” in Ireland and this exploration uses SDG as a lens.
Gendelity’s explores aspects related to workplace gender inclusion.
All sustainable developing goals, SDGs, use a nested structure where goals become targets, and targets are measured against indicators. While Gendelity is focused on workplace gender inclusion, select SDG 5 targets outside the workplace directly impact women’s access to workplace opportunity.
Goal => Target => Indicator
SDG 5 => Target 5.x => Indicators 5.x.y
SDGs are about universal human rights, and with targets and indicators, “equality must apply not only to opportunities, but also outcomes.” (Ravazi, 2016, pp 28)
SDG 5 Targets Applicable to Workplace Gender Inclusion
Target 5.1 – End all forms of discriminate against all women and girls everywhere.
Target 5.4 – Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate.
Target 5.5 – Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
SDG 5 Indicators Relevant for Workplace Gender Inclusion
Indicators help avoid a focus on action rather than outcomes, i.e. results.
A New Social Contract within societies will enable young people to live in dignity; will ensure women have the same prospects and opportunities as men; and will protect the sick, the vulnerable, and minorities of all kinds. https://t.co/9wNIjgHSuX https://t.co/3oB8BEtRuk
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) July 18, 2020
“Repealing laws that discriminate against women and girls …. and ending the gender pay gap are just some of the areas we are targeting”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Let’s look now at the previously stated ambition of Ireland’s public sector guided by government policy nationally and the current status of same. Below we explore how (& whether) these national frameworks cascade into local government implementation.
“To achieve the SDGs, governments, businesses, communities and individuals will all have to work together. Everyone can contribute to that work, from businesses adopting sustainable corporate strategies, to communities working together to improve their local environment, to the individual choices we all make as consumers.”
Government of Ireland
So Ireland’s ambition is to fully implement the SDGs by 2030 and our UN Ambassador co-chaired the final negotiation and adoption of the SDGs by 193 countries. Agenda 2030 reaffirmed the importance of the gender gap in incorporating women into employment (ILO, 2016).
The Sustainable Development Goal National Implementation Plan 2018 – 2020 approached this by stating:
- “Beginning in 2018, include reference in all new Statements of Strategy to all SDG targets for which a Department has lead responsibility” and
- “Identify those items of departmental expenditure which support specific SDGs”.
The Second National Implementation Plan 2022 – 2024 launched in October 2022 similarly confirmed this objectives “to embed the framework provided by the 2030 Agenda into the work of national and local government”.
The following national strategies includes elements support Ireland’s work towards SDG 5.
Working Towards SDG 5 In Ireland – National Goals, Targets and Indicators
Included in Ireland’s plan to implement the SDGs are aspirations to:
- address entrenched inequalities.
- mainstream a gender perspective into policy.
- improve the percentages of women in senior management.
In 2018 via the Voluntary National Review of SDGs, Ireland’s government set out the national mechanism to address the aspirations of SDG 5.4 and 5.5 targets using a “whole-of-government framework” and the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017 – 2020. These two targets are particularly relevant for workplace gender equality in Ireland.
| SDG Target 5.4 – gender imbalance in unpaid care work | SDG Target 5.4 – gender imbalance in unpaid care work |
| SDG Target 5.5 – gender imbalance in leadership positions | SDG Target 5.5 – gender imbalance in leadership positions |
As the indicators make clear, gender balance in leadership refers to political leadership, economic leadership, i.e. business leadership, and public-sector leadership. Considering these indicators, what can be measured reliably and how is Ireland doing?
Ireland’s SDG National Indicator SDG 5.5.1 – Women in National and Local Government
Data Source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division
Ireland’s SDG National Indicator 5.5.2 – Proportion of women in senior and middle management positions (%)
The summary statement is that information on indicator SDG 5.5.2 for Ireland is lacking. (There’s also an EU’s Definition of women in private-sector managerial positions.) There is no information available the government’s national indicator geohive data source.
Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and NUTS 3 boundary data (produced by Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSi) were used to consider “…. the proportion of the female population at work in a management, director or senior official role. The layer has been developed as a proxy to represent SDG 5.5.2. ‘Proportion of Women in Managerial Positions’ for Ireland.
If you know of a data source please let us know. The bits and pieces of data available, such as via the 30% Club and ‘Better Balance, Better Boards’, a opt-in survey of Ireland’s largest private-sector companies which is now managed by the CSO, show Ireland has yet to meet this indicator.
Further Resources on Ireland’s National SDG 5 – Gender Equality
- Actions for Individuals Working Towards Gender Inclusion
- Actions for Organizations Working Towards Gender Inclusion
- UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 – Gender Equality
- Irish Government on Sustainable Development Goals and here
- Irish Central Statistics Office on Sustainable Development Goals
- Irish Central Statistics Office on Women and Men in Ireland
- Ireland’s 2020 Action Plan for Women in Business 2020
- European Institute for Gender Equality on Ireland Strategy To Realising Gender Equality
Your Actions To Move Ireland Towards SDG 5 – Gender Equality
- Vote with SDG 5 in mind.
- Ask your representative to address gaps in national 5.5 indicators
- Support women for election.
- Learn about Ireland’s Approach to SDG 5 In Local Government