A total of €8.7 million was spent last year on various projects promoting equality for women. The projects are in the Border, Midland and Western and the Southern and Eastern regions, the two regions where the Equality for Women Measure has been implemented so far.
Speaking at the launch of the first annual report of this initiative, along with its website, www.ewm.ie, the assistant secretary at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Sylda Langford, said that concern for women's economic equality was increasingly paralleled by a concern for social, cultural and political equality. She said the Equality for Women Measure was an instrument of positive action, designed to address the specific barriers to the full participation of women in the economy and society, and their participation in political and other decision-making processes.
It had €35 million in funding, including €6 million from the European Social Fund.
The kind of projects being supported included those exploring new forms of outreach to very marginalised women, promoting fast-track training for women into the IT sector, and exploring the provision of labour market services for rural women, she said.
"The glass ceiling or sticky floor persists. Gender segregation in certain occupations and in certain sectors continues. Women predominate in low paid work and the gender gap remains a problem. The Equality for Women Measure is addressing these issues."
Minister of State, Mr Willie O'Dea, said he had a particular interest in the issue of women in decision-making. "One of my first acts as Minister of State with responsibility for Equality was to look at the gender balance of State board members," he said.
At the moment 29 per cent were women. While there had been progress towards the 40 per cent target, more needed to be done.