Ireland still falling behind on gender and equality issues

EMPOWERMENT of women is a sound investment which will benefit the economy and society as a whole, Ms Leueen Miller of the UN Development Programme has said.

Ms Miller, who presented the 1996 UNDP report to the President, Mrs Robinson, yesterday in Dublin, stressed this was not a "women's lib" mantra, but a sound economic fact of life. Women will invest extra earnings in health and better education, whereas men will not, she said.

"By enabling women to make this contribution, governments can unwittingly inculcate a very significant investment in the future", Ms Miller said.

An Irish woman, mother of three and UNDP field officer in Romania, Ms Miller inspired the UNDP Beijing Express, which transported women by trans Siberian railway to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum in China last year.

"White veils, not blue helmets" was the theme of the Beijing Express Declaration, drawn up by a group of 25 women last August in relation to conflict resolution, preventive diplomacy and a proper balance between social welfare and a market economy.

The declaration stated that the current system of peace making and negotiations, dominated by men at senior governmental level, had patently failed, and was now discredited. It also called for prosecution of men who commit rape as a war crime; economic and political sanctions on parties violating human rights; and government policies to be instituted which were favourable to women.

Ireland does not rate highly on gender empowerment in the 1996 UNDP report, with women in Ireland receiving a lower percentage share of earned income in 1993 than the average for the least developed nations in the world. Ireland is ranked 23rd on women's participation in professional, economic and political decision making, while it is below the world average for women's representation in parliament.

It notes that Irish women are poorly represented in administrative and managerial fields, accounting for only 17.8 per cent of the total. This falls below the average for industrial countries.

Employment had still not adjusted to family social situations, and this could have serious social implications in the long term, Ms Miller said yesterday.

Lack of provision for child care and of flexible working hours meant a larger percentage of children were growing up with deep rooted insecurity. Societies need to take a "hard look at economic and social changes, and make a more serious effort to adapt, if damage in future generations is to be avoided", she said.

As part of the UNDP's response to the Beijing women's conference, Ms Miller plans to run a conference on conflict resolution next year. Women from previous and current conflict situations will participate, including representatives from Northern Ireland.

Key world leaders will be invited, including Mrs Robinson.