Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our wonderful guests. It is never easy to hear gender equality being spoken about at such length and its impact in the context of such a wide array of issues, but it exists and we cannot continue to hide from that existence because we will never have true human rights while gender inequality remains. I have heard Covid-19 being referred to as a universal leveller. However, it has not been a universal leveller. Research has shown that women across the globe have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic compared with men. One of the fundamental reasons for that is the gender inequalities that existed before Covid ever became a thing. These gender inequalities are wide ranging. There is the gender pay gap, the responsibility for family and childcare, the fact that front-line staff in some areas are predominantly female, but also the inadequate supports that were in place.

A recent piece of work by the European Institute for Gender Equality was quite startling. It found that 4.5% of women's employment is at risk across the globe because of the pandemic, compared with 3.8% of men's employment. Women make up 40% of the global labour force yet account for 54% of job losses to date. Workers in industries such as retail, hospitality and residential care are predominantly women and those are the areas that have suffered the heaviest job losses to date. Women make up the bulk of the workforce in those sectors and 40% of all jobs lost by women during the crisis were in these professions.

A report published last summer by McKinsey & Company described how women globally have been 1.8 times as likely as men to lose their jobs because of the pandemic. It reported that societal attitudes have also shaped how women experience the economic fallout, based on their perceived place in society. Despite the resurgence in employment during the summer months last year, men regained employment at twice the rate that women did, indicating that the economic impact of the pandemic will be felt much longer and harder by women compared with men.

When Ireland first went into lockdown last March, the caring responsibility was compounded in many ways by the efforts of some to be more accommodating of women. For example, as a result of the gender pay gap, women's work often took less of a priority compared with men's work. Employers were more understanding that women also had caring roles but, as a result of that and the priority that was given to male partners, women actually ended up working considerably longer hours every day just to meet those ever-increasing demands being made of them. The National Women's Council of Ireland published a really good report on the impact on women's mental health and well-being of carrying the lion's share of the load in terms of work and caring in the home.

On the gender-based violence aspect, in three months last year there was a 40% increase in the number of applications for protection and barring orders compared with the same period the previous year. The figures are stark. There were 1,300 requests for refuge in domestic violence services that could not be met. That is eight people per day whose requests for refuge went unanswered.

When we look at the future and coming out of Covid - we will come out of Covid at some point - there is no doubt that although women have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, they will also be the backbone of the recovery in their communities, circles and environments. For that to happen, women's inclusion, representation, rights, social and economic outcomes, equality and protection must be at the core of national and global responses. Financial stimulus packages and social assistance programmes must be based on greater equality, opportunities and social protection for women. We must not allow Covid to be used as an excuse to reverse the little progress on gender equality that has been made. Rather, it should become the catalyst to create something new that focuses on these pre-existing conditions and says "No more". While the eyes of governments nationally and internationally are on these inequalities, there will never be a better time to address them or to implement policies that go to the core of what created the inequalities in the first place. Covid simply shone a light on the extent of the inequalities that exist, inequalities that were there in my mother's time, my grandmother's time and my great-grandmother's time. That is what I think needs to happen now. When we look to the future and policies, we need to look to training, education and employment opportunities for women, the protection of activists and political representation.

On the issue of women's health, more than 30,000 women in Ireland alone are currently awaiting a gynaecological appointment. When that is coupled with the waiting lists for BreastCheck and cervical cancer screening, we are looking at a potential perfect storm in terms of women's health in Ireland. That is before looking elsewhere in Europe or across the globe where the disproportionate effect of conflict and other gender-based violence will have an even more profound effect.

What is needed now more than ever is that not only are women at the table in terms of future development, but that their voices are actually heard at that table. I agree with our guests that tracking progress is absolutely vital because if it is not in place, plans become words on pages. Without targets, focus and key performance indicators, gender equality will remain out of reach for future generations because there will not be any meaningful planned progress written down to be achieved. I am sorry if all that comes across as a bit of a rant. I fundamentally agree with the vast majority of what the representatives have stated. In terms of tracking progress on gender equality, what would they like to see achieved in the next 18 months, three years and five years? What is the best course of action for us to prioritise in the short term and the medium term?