€148m gender equality initiative faces axe

A €148 MILLION government initiative to foster gender equality across all sections of society has made no real progress and is in serious danger of being scrapped after just two years, it has been claimed.

The National Women’s Strategy (NWS) was announced under the National Development Plan in 2007, promising to provide training and education, and deal with a wide range of women’s inequalities. But according to the National Women’s Council, serious questions must now be asked as the main strand of the strategy – the Equality for Women Measure (EWM) – looks set to be axed.

Applications from 150 women’s groups seeking funding under the EWM, which was to encourage disadvantaged women back into the workplace, have been with the Department of Justice since last summer, but groups have been repeatedly told that funding for the scheme is “under review”.