National Strategy for Women and Girls launched

Ireland is an unfinished democracy until women are equal to men, according to the Tánaiste.

Frances Fitzgerald launched the new National Strategy for Women and Girls earlier.

The report highlights almost 140 actions across government departments aimed at creating equality.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald said while she feels equal to her male colleagues, it is not always the case.

"You know, sometimes people think that the job is finished, it's unfinished.

"It's an unfinished democracy in terms of representation of women in lots of different areas.

"It's about making sure there is a critical mass of women involved in decision making across our society, and we still don't have that," she said.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today that a number of measures included in the newly-published National Women’s Strategy had the capacity “to ensure real improvements for women workers, if they are fully-implemented and delivered upon.”

Responding to the publication of the National Women’s Strategy, Congress Equality Officer David Joyce said: “In our own submission we highlighted the need to act on the gender pay gap and we note that the Strategy contains an important new provision on this - with companies of more than 50 employees being required to complete wage surveys and report gender pay gaps.

“This is an important step in tackling gender-based pay inequality and we look forward to seeing this measure fully implemented."

Mr Joyce also said the inclusion in the Strategy of an extended provision for breastfeeding breaks in the workplace was a positive measure, but said Congress was disappointed at the failure to commit to the Living Wage, for female workers.

Meanwhile, the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment said it is shocking that there is no reference to the widening of abortion services in the National Women’s Strategy published today.

“It is bizarre that the Strategy makes no reference to the widening of abortion services, beyond a bland mention of the forthcoming report by the Citizen’s Assembly.

"We are at a loss to understand why there are no recommendations made in the Strategy that the Government set a date for a referendum on the Eighth Amendment and enacts the Citizens’ Assembly’s recent recommendations in legislation," they said.