The Government will tomorrow publicly commit itself to reducing the gap between men's and women's earnings and increase the proportion of women in work over the next five years.
The commitments are contained in a draft National Plan for Women 2001-2005, which shows that the participation of women in the labour market is much lower than that of men, and that they earn only 84.5 per cent of men's wages.
The Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Mary Wallace, will launch the plan, which has been seen by The Irish Times, tomorrow. The launch will also mark the start of a six-week-long public consultation on the document, due to be finalised next spring.
The commitments in the draft plan stem from the UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 when 189 governments signed up to a 10-year action agenda to promote the advancement of women.
A review of Ireland's progress on the action programme last year found that much had been achieved to promote the advancement of women but major challenges remained in some critical areas.
The Government makes commitments in the draft plan to tackle gender inequities in health, education and training, reduce poverty and violence against women, and promote their participation in power and decision-making at all levels.
On promoting women's economic rights, it says: "Ireland will advance a strategy aimed at increasing the proportion of women in employment, promoting family-friendly policies in employment, increasing childcare places and taking action with the aim of reducing the gender pay gap."
A code of practice on harassment and sexual harassment in employment, the delivery of services, accommodation and education is being developed, the plan says. Commitments by local authorities, the Garda and the Army to equal opportunities for women are also outlined in the document.
The plan includes measures already approved by Government to address gender imbalance in the Civil Service. The goal is that women will make up a third of the total number of assistant principals by 2005. It also includes measures to increase the number of women in business and promote the "reconciliation of work and family life" through support for the provision of childcare facilities and the improvement of statutory entitlements to leave.
The Government has already committed £344 million in the National Development Plan for childcare facilities in the private and community sector and has increased paid maternity leave from 14 weeks to 18 weeks.
The plan shows that the participation of women in the labour force in 2000 was highest in the education and health sector, at 74 per cent, and lowest, at 5 per cent, in building and construction.
About half the employees in the financial and business sector as well as the wholesale and retail trade are women. Men accounted for just one per cent of those carrying out home duties.
Fewer than half of women (47 per cent) were part of the labour force last year, compared to more than two thirds of men (71 per cent).