The Government adopted the National Women’s Strategy 2007-2016 in April 2007.1 The Strategy provides a roadmap to mainstream gender equality. The implementation of the Strategy includes the introduction of the ‘Equality for Women’s Measure’ with funding provided through the European Social Fund to foster the engagement and advancement of women and gender equality in a number of economic sectors. Since 2009 more than 11,000 women have participated in the programme but the Department of Justice and Equality has revised downwards the amount of funding allocated to the measure in more recent years.2 Furthermore, Government funding of the National Women’s Council of Ireland3 has almost halved since 20094 and grassroots women’s organisations working at the local level have been cut by 35 per cent since 2011.5
1 Government of Ireland (2007) National Women’s Strategy 2007-2016, Dublin: Stationery Office.
2 Further information is available online at: http://bit.ly/NationalWomenStrategy [accessed 9 July 2014].
3 National Women’s Council of Ireland (2014) Budget Directions 2015: Pre-Budget Submission, Dublin: NWCI.
4 Figures taken from Revised Estimates for Public Expenditure 2009 to 2014.
5 Women’s Human Rights Alliance (2013) Suggested List of Issues to Country Report Task Force on Ireland for the 109th Session of the Human Rights Committee, 14 October -1 November 2013, Dublin: WHRA, p.3.
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