Presentation to the NWCI "Members & Friends" event

1. 40 Years of NWCI & European
Membership | Where Are We Now?
Olwen Dawe
Irish Business Intelligence & Network Ireland

2. 1973 – now | What Change?
• 13 pieces of legislation to promote equality
• % employment rate – 34% [1973] to 56%
[2011]
• Earnings [as a % of men’s] – 58% [1979] to
86% [2006]

3. 2013 | Where Are We Now?
• We employ least those we educate most –
K. Lynch [EU2013 Conference]
• 15-18% of established entrepreneurial activity
• 50% less start-ups
EEN [2010]

6. The Challenges?
• Lack of proper financing;
• Lack of prior experience;
• Lack of training;
• Self-selection;
• Pressures from family life, lack of role models
and lower perception of skills / ability.

7. Opportunities

8. Margaret E. WardNiamh GallagherOrlaith Carmody
“Women currently only
represent 15% of Dáil seats,
and 16% at local authority
level – it will take 250 years to
achieve equality based on
current progress… therefore we
have to accelerate the pace of
change”
“Women on Air was established to
address the significant gender
imbalance on the airwaves.
Women's voices are only heard 10%
to 20% of the time on radio and TV
and they are rarely heard as area
experts. We seek to increase media
diversity to ensure women's voices
influence public debate and shape
social and government policy. A
representative media promotes a
healthy democracy.”
"Women in high profile positions
who say they don't agree with
gender quotas bother me – it is as if
they are saying that they got there
the hard way, so why should any
other woman have it easier? But I
think what they mean is that the
door is not closed - it is actually ajar -
but you have to push hard to get
through. Those women pushed the
door for themselves, and they know
that the rest of us have to do it too if
we want to make our mark."