Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. I have a question for Dr. Murphy. TASC's submission states the distribution of care work in society plays a central role in the formation of inequality between men and women. The fact women provide an overwhelming amount of child, elder and other forms or care means they have often been excluded. I presume TASC includes in that that they participate in a more limited way, as well as being excluded, or in a more difficult way in political, economic, voluntary, cultural and leisure activity.

I was thinking of interactions I have had with constituents in recent days about finding a childcare place and getting back to work. If there was a risk, the danger fell to her and not him. These are young couples who are committed to gender equality. I am not trying to criticise all men. When I speak to my constituents, the day-to-day disparity in the assumption of care responsibility between men and women comes up again and again. I even see it in WhatsApp groups - "Hello Ladies". Does Dr. Murphy know what I mean? I see it all over the place in subtle things. I see women going back to work who find it difficult to ensure the care responsibility they have assumed is now distributed more equally between partners. It is not the case that because you earn more you do less in relation to family or anything else.

From a perception and social perspective, how do we convince and explain to men who think they are doing gender equality that there is more to do and it is a day-to-day thing? It is not unique to Ireland as we have seen it across reports from the EU. Frances Fitzgerald has pioneered work on this in the EU. I am not saying anything unusual here, am I?