Opening Statement from the National Womens Council of Ireland
Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection
Alice-Mary Higgins
12th June 2014
Extension of Non-Income Activation Supports to Those who do not Qualify at Present
Established in 1973, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) is the leading national
women’s membership organisation in Ireland. NWCI seeks full equality between men and
women and represent and derive our mandate from over 175 member groups across a diversity
of backgrounds, sectors and locations. We also have a growing and committed individual
membership. Economic independence for women is a core priority within the work of NWCI.
NWCI greatly appreciate the opportunity to make this presentation to the Committee on
Education and Social Protection and welcome the interest of the Committee in the extension of
access to non-income Activation Supports as the limitation of many activation supports to those
in receipt of Jobseekers payments has strongly impacted on women.
The NWCI has long argued, most recently in a ‘Careless to Careful Activation Report’ produced
by Dr. Mary Murphy who joins me here today, that a limited focus on the Live Register or
Jobseeker Payments cannot reflect or address the full picture of joblessness in Ireland or the
levels of unemployment or underemployment amongst women of working age. While the Live
Register may illustrate some important trends in terms of gender (men, for example, are leaving
the Register at four times the rate for women) a large number of women fall outside its remit.
NWCI hope to contribute the deliberations of the Committee by sharing our perspective on the
policy and social context and offering specific recommendations in terms of employment and
training initiatives and proactive measures to facilitate wider women’s connection with social
protection and activation supports.
Context
Increasing the Economic Participation of Women
“Increased economic participation of women” is a core objective of Ireland’s National Women’s
Strategy 2007-2016. It is also a key requirement within the Europe 2020 strategy. Earlier this
month, the first Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) for Ireland delivered under the EU
Semester Process strongly emphasised the urgent need for new measures in this area.
The CSR’s noted that “Ireland has one of the highest proportions of people living in households
with low work intensity in the EU … The proportion was higher than the EU average prior to the
crisis and surged from 14.3% in 2007 to 24.2% in 2011.” and highlighted “the unequal labour
market participation of women at 67.2% in 2013, as compared with 83.4% for men.”
The ESRI have actually noted a reversal in the long-term rise in female participation rates during
the recent years. It is also interesting that participation rates fall to 55% for married women.
Childcare is a key factor in the low participation of women as clearly seen in CSO figures on
labour market participation for men and women age 20 -44. In 2011, participation for men and
women without children was almost equal at 84.8% and 85.7 %. However, with a youngest child
under 3, women’s participation rate plummets to 57% and after the youngest child has reached
6 or over, participation still remains at only 58%. Childcare remains an issue that must be
urgently tackled if Ireland’s targets for women’s participation are ever to be achieved. For this
reason, NWCI would strongly recommend inclusion of childcare, including after school care, as
an essential non-income activation support within the Committee’s proposals.
Not only are women disproportionately affected by the challenges of balancing employment
and care, many face significant obstacles to re-entering the labour market after any sustained
period of absence, finding most avenues of activation closed to them.
I am aware that INOU will touch on specific challenges faced by those excluded from activation
supports through means testing or due to their partner’s employment. This is an issue which
affects many women and contributes greatly to household insecurity as given the increasingly
precarious nature of much employment; households may slip into joblessness with little notice.
Extension of the activation supports discussed here today could help build household resilience.
Increased voluntary access to certain activation supports would also be welcomed by many
women on disability payments and the opportunity to seek out training or career planning
supports could prove very valuable for some recipients of One Parent Family Allowance in terms
of facilitating future job-readiness. Young women’s access to activation is also an Area in which
NWCI is currently undertaking significant research and these are all areas I would be happy to
return to in questions. However, in the limited time available today, NWCI would like to focus
particularly on currently jobless households and the situation of Qualified Adults in particular.
Qualified Adults
The category of ‘Qualified Adults’ reflects our Social Protection system’s origins in a model
based on one (usually male) breadwinner and financial decision maker. Under this
arrangement, recipients of social welfare payment such as a Contributory Pension or Jobseekers
Allowance may apply for an increase to their personal payment in respect of a spouse or partner
- a ‘Qualified Adult’ (formerly known as Adult Dependant).
There is a strong gendered dimension to this arrangement – over 90% of Qualified Adults are
women – and, although in certain circumstances direct payment to the QA themselves may be
facilitated, it can contribute to an imbalance in the power and decision-making dynamics within
households - including the decision to return to work. These concerns were highlighted by
women themselves in recent research by Creegan and Murphy at NUIMaynooth.
“Sure I can hardly go to the shops without him wanting to know where I am, never mind working”
“I couldn’t have worked full time cos if I had...he would have lost his labour”
Creegan and Murphy, 2013, NUI Maynooth
Because such women are not in the system in their own right, very little is known about them.
NWCI have long called for comprehensive data collection and disaggregation around on
Qualified Adults. NWCI also strongly support policy recommendations around administrative
individualisation as a step towards an individualised social welfare system, as made in
Department of Social Protection’s 2006 report. Such administrative individualisation could, for
example, be introduced for all new coupled claimants and I know that Dr. Murphy and others
have practical proposals as to how such a change might be implemented.
Constructive non-income activation proposals are certainly a positive and practical step in the
right direction. Currently Qualified Adults have little or no access to activation support. In fact
one of the very few schemes which had been available was recently terminated. The ‘Spousal
Swap’ allowed an individual entitled to participation in a CE scheme or Back to Education
initiative to transfer that opportunity to their spouse. While this was a flawed scheme in that
decisions rested with the person, usually male, already in the system, it did facilitate negotiated
shifts in breadwinner and carer roles within a number of families. Its termination closed off an
avenue to activation for many women and the principle that either adult in a jobless household
should be able to participate in certain income activation schemes should be restored.
While some Qualified Adults of working age may have partners in receipt of pensions, I will
focus on Qualified Adults with partners are in receipt of Jobseekers Payments as activation is
particularly important within jobless households experiencing high rates of poverty. In August
2012, over 95,045 Qualified Adults were recognised within Jobseeker Payments.
The ‘Careless to Careful Activation’ report makes note of a 2010 investigation which found that
Jobseeker claimants with a Qualified Adult had only 67% of the average rate of claim closure.
The report also found that over 50% of Qualified Adults make use of a small income disregard.
This suggests that many Qualified Adults may already be making some limited contact with the
labour market and more might be open to the possibility. In many cases the Qualified Adults
may actually have more to bring to or gain from an activation or training opportunity. It is also
important that the decision and opportunity to access non-income activation supports be
placed in the hands of Qualified Adults themselves.
The opening up certain opportunities and supports to both partners could have a very positive
impact on reducing the number of jobless households. This approach also recognises and
supports that household dynamics can change and breadwinner or caring responsibilities may
shift. It is, however, important not to assume that caring can easily be shared. Research by
Creegan and others highlights a range of reasons, from depression to traditionalist views, why
women may not feel able to transfer care to a partner.
Again, access to public childcare is crucial and it is also important to recognise that many
Qualified Adults who are very interested in entering the workforce may not be available for full
time activation. The Jobseekers Transitional Payment as introduced for Lone Parents represents
an important recognition of part time availability and could provide a suitable model for
Qualified Adults with children aged 0-14.
Pension Security as Activation Incentive
Difficulties in entering or re-entering the workforce do not just affect women in the immediate
term; they can also store up economic insecurity for the future. The legacy of inequalities such
as the Marriage Bar is still felt in the reduced pensions of many older women. Only 16% of those
receiving a full contributory pension are women. Proactive measures are necessary to prevent
long-term gendered income inequality for a new generation and a gender impact assessment
should be conducted into all changes contribution thresholds, particularly the rising number of
previous contributions required before being permitted to make voluntary pension
contributions. This should not be set at a level that makes it impossible for women entering the
workforce after an absence to catch up but should instead incentivise employment.
Homemakers Disregard is also important in relation to Pensions Security and the transition to
Homemakers Credit for new and future claimants is long overdue. Delivering on that
commitment would send a signal to all those working in the home that their work is not just
‘disregarded’ it is recognised, credited and connected to wider society. Homemakers Credit
could extend beyond Pension calculations to act as an active link to activation support. Indeed,
even those availing of the current Homemakers Disregard could be offered access to targeted
activation supports at specific intervals.
Recommendations
Extension of Non-Income Activation Supports to Qualified Adults
Choice
It is essential that engagement with non-income activation measures should be voluntary and
that decision making be in the hands of qualified adults themselves.
Even with access to childcare, full time activation might not prove possible or appropriate for
many qualified adults, and there may also be constraints around available hours for courses or
training. The Jobseekers Transitional Payment as rolled out for Lone Parents could act as a
model for Qualified Adults with children under 14. Quality part-time activation opportunities
should be developed and facilitated and training made available at flexible times.
It is also important that individuals are presented with a range of options. There is some danger
of pigeonholing, for example, NWCI have heard cases of mothers seeking to re-enter the Labour
market being pressed towards childcare. Career planning and other activation supports should
act as an opportunity to challenge rather than reinforce gender bias.
Individualisation
It is important that access to activation opportunities should be placed in the hands of
individuals themselves rather than routed through their partners. Administrative
Individualisation could initially be rolled out in relation to the activation measures discussed
here today and also in relation to new claimants. A number of practical proposals have been put
forward around how this might be introduced.
Education
Both the “Careless to Careful Activation” report and Creegan and Murphy's research on
Qualified Adults emphasise that an ‘Education First’ approach can often be most appropriate.
Access to a range of educational and training options, including literacy support if required,
should be central to the proposed non-income activation supports. This would also fit well with
the “seamless FET referrals system between INTREO offices and Education and Training Boards “
called for within the European CSR’s.
Childcare
Access to appropriate childcare, including quality afterschool care, is absolutely central to
activation. Europe has, through the CSR’s, also called on the Irish Government to “Facilitate
female labour market participation by improving access to more affordable and full-time
childcare, particularly for low income families.” The lack of affordable and accessible childcare
is a direct and pressing obstacle to activation and the fight against poverty.
Training for Caseworkers
It is important that those working with Qualified Adults should have a strong understanding of
the issues, concerns, priorities and dynamics which they might be juggling. Personalised
support is important in drawing individuals closer to activation and it is important that case
workers are themselves supported by appropriate training – including gender-equality training.
Four Further Measures to Support Activation and Participation of Qualified Adults
Comprehensive Data Collection
There is a pressing need for comprehensive data collection and disaggregation in relation to
Qualified Adults.
Introduction of Homemakers Credit
Transition from Homemakers Disregard to Homemaker’s Credit is long overdue and should be
pressed forward as a matter of principle and practice. This would send an important signal of
inclusion and recognition to many Qualified Adults and others who work within the home.
Gender Impact Assessment of Contributory Pension Thresholds
A full Gender Impact Assessment should be conducted in relation to the changes to
Contributory Pension thresholds and Voluntary Pension Contribution requirements in particular
to ensure such thresholds do not act as discouragement rather than incentive to activation.
Clarity around Secondary Supports
For many Qualified Adults, fear of negatively impacting household security or losing secondary
supports such as rent allowance or medical cards can act as a serious disincentive to seeking
activation. A number of proposals have been put forward in order to help address this issue.