Covid-19 'brutally exposed' deficiencies in care system

Labour leader Ivana Bacik: 'The issue of care is central to any discussion on gender equality in Ireland as women do the bulk of unpaid and domestic care work.' Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Covid-19 pandemic “brutally exposed” Ireland’s care model, which was “ill-equipped to meet societal needs and impacts on quality”, the Oireachtas committee on gender equality has heard.

Addressing the committee on Thursday, Mary Murphy, professor of sociology at the Social Sciences Institute, Maynooth University, said the Government has incentivised private providers in the care sector, promoting an economic model based on high fees and low wages.