Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wholly welcome the fact that the House is dedicating time to the issue of the impact of Covid-19 on women ahead of International Women's Day but it is a source of regret also because it confirms that there is still a lot to be done to address the issues of inequality and recognition.

I was talking to somebody recently ahead of today's debate who summarised the challenges faced by women during the Covid crisis as follows: emergencies deepen inequalities. Inequality does not have to be a conscious decision made with effort. It is something that can be caused and increased through ignorance of hidden situations, taking the work of some for granted or through the failure to make provisions for individual circumstances. I want to speak of the latter to begin with.

It has been widely reported that the pandemic has resulted in an increase in incidents of domestic violence, which is perpetrated predominantly towards women. During the pandemic we have had increased public awareness campaigns on domestic abuse. I welcome that an increase in funding for services has also been provided but there are still shortcomings in overall policies across Departments that could deal with some obstacles faced by those seeking to flee domestic violence.

Our housing crisis, for example, limits options when it comes to fleeing abuse within the home. I came across an incident in which a woman had to leave her local authority house because of domestic abuse. It emerged that she was considered as having given up her local authority home, which has an affect on that person's ability to get back on a very lengthy housing waiting list. Having inquired about this in a parliamentary question, I was told of a guidance document that had been issued to local authorities concerning domestic violence. It states:

The guidance document outlines that victims of domestic violence that had been in a joint local authority tenancy can be eligible for re-entry to the waiting list where a deed of separation is in place. Where such a deed does not exist housing authorities may use discretion to allow applications ...

This fails people on two fronts. First, the act of pleading domestic violence generally does not allow for deeds of separation to be organised and signed off on. Second, relying on the discretion of the local authority, while positive, also involves a workload and a level of uncertainty that the person who is fleeing abuse may not have the time or the ability to deal with.

Another issue I came across in the case was that the council had again to use its discretion to provide the housing assistance payment, HAP. The failure to have a streamlined programme in place to deal with people escaping domestic abuse does not recognise the immediate needs of the person involved. Finally on this matter, even if a person were to get back on the housing list or be approved for a HAP package the lack of housing, both private and social, makes it nearly impossible to find a suitable alternative to the home they are fleeing. Our housing crisis is failing people who are the targets of domestic violence while guidelines for local authorities when it comes to the housing needs of victims of domestic abuse are too vague and need attention.

The prevalence of the pandemic has also brought into sharp focus the value placed on certain sectors of our society and the extent to which we are willing to recognise the contribution of those sectors. Care and informal or unpaid care and parenting are particular issues here. Informal care can also be described as silent care as it seems to go unnoticed and under-resourced. Last year, the National Women's Council stated:

Before COVID-19, care was not equally distributed, with women providing the majority of care for family members and loved ones and for the household. As Ireland entered the first COVID-19 lockdown, the closure of schools, childcare facilities and reductions in home and social care led many women to provide even more care.

As we know, the restrictions have continued since and the demands on women have increased. According to the National Women's Council report on women's experience of care during Covid-19, respondents stated:

During the lockdown they were playing many roles: teacher; cook; cleaner; counsellor; and home nurse. With children home full-time during lockdown, women were minding children and home-schooling. With a heightened awareness of hygiene to combat the virus, cleaning around the house increased. As many older people around the country cocooned, the work of checking in, collecting their medicines and doing their shopping fell predominantly to women.

In the same report, 85% of women said their caring responsibilities had increased since the outbreak of Covid-19 and 52% said their caring had increased an awful lot. Many women living with another adult reported that caring was not shared equally in their household, with the lion's share falling to them.

As legislators, we have to ask ourselves what we can do to address this while men need to consider their role in those findings. Respondents suggested improvements in the provision of childcare, especially for front-line workers; supports for new mothers; State supports for carers of older people; social care supports for disabled people; access to affordable counselling; and increased support from their partner.

We must also be aware that more than 60% of one-parent families are headed by a woman parenting alone. Data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, show that in 2019, 45% of one-parent families were experiencing enforced deprivation. Covid has added to that, which has been highlighted in parts of Tipperary by those in need of food parcel deliveries. I pay tribute to the likes of Ruth in Knockanrawley and other places and to all those engaged in this type of work. Yet in February, the Government rejected Sinn Féin's motion to help people struggling with increased fuel costs and ensuring that those on jobseeker's benefit did not have to wait more than 15 months for fuel assistance.

Before I end, I wish to note that many of the informal carers I am speaking of are also front-line workers who have had to deal with the unthinkable since this time last year. This pandemic has brought into sharp focus the failings women have had to live with. Covid will be here for a while. We must act now to correct these failings, and when the pandemic ends we must not forget what we have learned.

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