Women on low incomes in Limerick see survival as the prime objective of their lives. Living on a low income is a constant cycle of trying to make ends meet, of having just the bare necessities and of always putting everyone else first.
According to a study conducted by the PAUL Partnership, Limerick, they are often the managers of poverty. It is they who shop for cheaper food, who sit all day in a cold house and put down a fire only when the children are home from school, who worry about debts and who weave their way through a maze of complex and ever-changing social welfare rules and regulations. They worry constantly about money.
They often suffer stress and depression and have little support for what is an incredibly difficult task. Not having enough food and fuel are two of the most basic problems facing women, and many on low incomes live in debt and worry about it constantly.
The study revealed that worry and stress can spill over quickly into depression. In talking to low-income women, it is the sense of having no power over their lives that comes across most strongly. They do not feel represented at the decision-making level and there is much anger and frustration that their collective voice is not heard.
On the question of violence, 75 per cent of the women surveyed knew someone in a violent relationship and nearly half had experienced some kind of abuse themselves.
Launching the study, "Life on Low Income - the perception by low-income women of their unmet needs", President Mary McAleese said "how sad it was to read that the experience of so many of these women is to dread the milestones of life that normally provide such joy for parents - Christmas, First Communions, Confirmations and birthdays. What should be occasions of joy become times of stress because of the expense and debts they bring with them.
"It is clear from this report that it is women who so often carry the greatest burden of this stress and who make the greatest self-sacrifices for their families. I believe that change is possible and this is the generation that has come closest to having the capacity to address these problems," the President said.
The communities involved in the study were: Our Lady of Lourdes, Southill, St Munchin's, St Mary's, Moyross and the Travellers.