The Commission has long-standing recommendations calling for government: to promptly implement a gender pay strategy and action plan for Northern Ireland to address structural factors within society and the workplace which impact on employment equality; to implement gender pay reporting; and to deliver related actions in support of advancing equality in employment.
The Equality Commission recommends that
the law is amended to prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment by public authorities on the grounds of sex in the exercise of their public functions.
This would mean that men, women and trans people in Northern Ireland would have the right to bring a complaint if they are discriminated against or harassed on grounds of their sex by public bodies, such as the police, immigration services or prison authorities, when exercising their public functions, or by private bodies acting on behalf of a public authority. Other examples would include the denial of primary health care services, or access to shelters for asylum seekers, victims of domestic violence or trafficking.
The changes proposed by the Commission would the bridge the gap that currently exists between Northern Ireland and Great Britain where sex discrimination law was extended to cover public functions under the Single Equality Act.
The Equality Commission’s paper
Gaps in equality law between Great Britain and Northern Ireland (pdf, 2014) summarises the key gaps that exist following the introduction of the Equality Act 2010. Among the areas highlighted is gender discrimination.
The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was ratified by the UK in 1986 and provides an international standard for protecting and promoting women's human rights within political, civil, cultural, economic, and social life.
The Government submits national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
In January 2019, the Equality Commission prepared a Shadow Report (pdf) to inform the UN CEDAW Committee's Concluding Observations on the UK. The submission highlights the priority equality issues affecting women in Northern Ireland. In March 2019, the UN CEDAW Committee issued its Concluding Observations on the UK (pdf).
The Equality Commission conducted a formal investigation into the employment experiences of pregnant women and mothers, on maternity leave and on their return to work.
We explored whether pregnant women and mothers receive equal treatment in employment and identified both barriers to equality of opportunity and employment practices that women have found helpful and supportive.
Almost 1,000 women across Northern Ireland responded to an online survey sharing their experiences through focus group discussions and interviews. Employers were also given the opportunity to tell us about their experiences, concerns and good practices.
The findings were launched at Titanic, Belfast, on 29 November 2016 – read the press release
Download the investigation's findings:
Guidance:
Following the investigation the Commission produced new guidance for employers on pregnancy and maternity in the workplace and guidance for employees on their employment rights:
Download:
If you would like to know more about the investigation please contact Rosalynd Harkness, email: Rharkness@equalityni.org, Tel: 028 90500574
The Equality Commission has called for action to ensure appropriate, accessible, flexible and affordable childcare and early-years provision to meet the diverse needs of parents, carers, and children from across the range of equality categories. For more information, and to see our recommendations and supporting rationales, see www.equalityni.org/Childcare
Download our full childcare policy priorities and recommendations:
Childcare Research
Improvements to childcare provision in NI are central to equality and for encouraging females to participate in the labour market. To inform the development of childcare policy options in Northern Ireland the Commission published an expert paper entitled 'Childcare: Maximising the Economic participation of Women'. Download the research findings:
The Equality Commission has worked with the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) and the STEM Business Group to
address gender imbalance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) businesses in Northern Ireland.
All of the Equality Commission's gender/sex related press releases, articles and blogs are
available online
Lauren’s story
Lauren McGee took a case claiming sex discrimination with the Commission’s help when she tried and failed to arrange a management trainee position with a local company.
Examples of sex discrimination legal cases
Examples of harassment cases
Further examples of Sex discrimination cases supported by the Equality Commission are
available online