A Clare Peace Commissioner claims Ireland has experienced a “backslide” in the last decade in terms of equality and social justice.
Although a new index has ranked Ireland 6th in the EU for gender equality, it’s claimed many sectors are still male-dominated while sexist attitudes and lack of access to essential services remain key issues.
The Gender Equality Index 2025 published by the European Institute for Gender Equality puts Ireland in 6th place in the bloc with a score of 69 points out of 100.
Since 2020, the country’s score has risen by over 13 points largely due to improvements in the area of ‘power’.
Ireland’s highest score was in the domain of ‘health’ for which it received a score of 93.8 points, but it was noted that this has fallen by 1.4 points since 2020.
While its lowest score was under the heading of ‘power’, referring to gender equality in decision-making positions across the political, economic and social spheres, at 54 points, this has risen by 23.5 points in the last five years.
Kilkee native, Peace Commissioner and public affairs professional, Mike Taylor, says in spite of progress, Ireland has become a less inclusive place in recent years.
Responding to the publication of the index, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, says it shows “Ireland is becoming a leader on equality for women and girls”.
Sociologist, psychotherapist and Applied Social Sciences lecturer on the TUS Moylish Campus, Karen Sugrue, doesn’t believe the lived experience of most women is reflective of the positive findings.
Listen to the full interview here
