Ms Zoe Hughes:

I am pleased today to be here to represent Care Alliance Ireland and make this statement to the Joint Committee on Gender Equality. I would like to thank the

committee for the invitation to be here today. This week is National Carers Week, an awareness week for family carers which we in Care Alliance Ireland have co-ordinated for the past 15 years. As such, it is particularly fitting that the committee is discussing some of the key recommendations from the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality, with specific reference to care.

For those of you who may be unaware of the work of Care Alliance Ireland, we are an umbrella organisation and our 95 strong member organisations are drawn from across the caring, disability, addiction, mental health and chronic illness sectors. We provide research, policy and governance supports to our membership, as well as providing online supports to a growing number of family carers across the country.

Typically when one pictures a family carer, a distinct individual comes to mind. This person is probably female, somewhere in the age range of 35 to 60, and likely also raising her own children while caring for her ageing parents. This is borne true in the statistics, as there is a high concentration of female carers in the 40 to 50 age group according to the census. This cohort of carers are often described as sandwich carers. However, when looking at carers who are older than this, the gender gap begins to close, and by age 80 there is a much more even split of care between men and women. However, when the intensity of caring is examined, it becomes clear that female carers provide significantly more hours of care, in particular at the higher intensities of care.

Internationally and historically, caring has been a gendered activity. Care and caring has long been established as a predominantly female occupation, with the work of caring and the attributes of caregivers being feminised and consequently of low status, and receiving little recognition. Much of the modern carers movement has developed from a push to have the value of the work of female family carers recognised. While this is changing, and we look forward to the work of the committee in this regard, there is still an element of gendering involved in how caring is viewed.

Care Alliance is particularly concerned about the lack of attention and regard given to those providing care who are not female. Male and non-binary carers are often left completely out of discussions on care. Due to this feminisation of caring, and the resultant lack of status and recognition for caregiving activities, male family carers may experience significant stigma, not unlike the stigma faced by fathers who wished to become more involved in their children’s care and development in previous decades, and one could also argue, currently. There are many who see a man who engages in caregiving activities as weak, or feminine, regardless of the relationship to the cared-for person. In addition, there have been cases of young male carers experiencing homophobia, regardless of their sexuality, due at least in part to their caregiving role.

Turning to the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality, we are in broad agreement with those made by the assembly. We agree that Article 41.2 of the Constitution should be deleted and replaced with gender neutral language to fully reflect the diverse nature of care and caregiving. We also agree that Article 41.3 should be updated to reflect the modern Ireland we live in and the values of our country. We believe all families should be recognised in the Constitution and afforded rights and protection, not just marital families.

The citizens' assembly made some truly radical recommendations regarding issues such as the reform of carers allowance, reimbursing the direct and indirect costs of caring and disability, and the reform of respite. We welcome these recommendations wholeheartedly. Last year, we partnered with the Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century in University College Cork to undertake research with family carers and interested stakeholders in reviewing the objectives of the national carers strategy. Unsurprisingly, the top three priority action areas identified by both family carers and the other stakeholders, were income supports, supports and services, and respite. This shows a clear need, not just coming from the recommendations of the citizens' assembly, but also from family carers themselves, along with professionals working in the area, for real reform of the existing systems of respite. This need is echoed by the feedback we receive from our member organisations across the country. This need has become even clearer as we emerge in some form from the Covid-19 pandemic and have an opportunity to rethink how respite is accessed, and in what forms.

There is not sufficient time in this opening statement to address all the recommendations made by the citizens, which we are here today to discuss. However, the final point I would like to make relates to the continued siloing of our health and social care services. For decades, people with disabilities, their family members and advocates have highlighted how easily some people fall between the cracks. Transition points, particularly between school and adulthood, can be extremely challenging. Services, supports, and even policy departments are often set up as mental health or disability or older people. This is unacceptable in 2022, when a holistic approach across the life course is critical to successful living, and successful aging.

I would like to thank the committee for inviting me here today. I am happy to take any questions members may have.