OPINION:John Waters is wrong: equality is about tackling the high levels of discrimination that are still prevalent in society, writes NIALL CROWLEY
BACKLASH IS no stranger to the equality agenda. Fear of change sets it off. Backlash is triggered by the possibility of achieving new levels of equality. It is characterised by blistering denunciation and trivialisation. John Waters is one architect of such backlash as is evidenced by his recent column on the demise of the Equality Authority (Opinion Analysis, February 6th).
Denunciation of a so-called ideological elite in the authority was provided as Waters sought the true meaning of equality. He proceeded to reduce equality to the experience of men in the family courts.
Men have specific issues. There are issues of rural isolation for older men, health needs specific to men, perceptions of unfairness in the family courts, high levels of male suicide and a particular exposure to violence. These issues must be addressed.
Gender equality, however, requires a focus on the situation and experience of women. It is women who experience the core inequality. This can be seen in the unequal access between women and men to income and employment, to decision making, to status and standing, and to relationships of care and solidarity.
There is a gender pay gap, where women are paid up to 15 per cent less than men and women experience pregnancy-related discrimination at work. Ireland has the eighth lowest parliamentary representation of women in the 25 EU member states.
Stereotyping from an early age establishes expectations on women to play caring, nurturing and dependent roles and limits their choices. Domestic violence is predominantly targeted at women.
This does not mean gender equality is only to benefit women. The stereotypes that limit women’s choices do the same to men. Gender equality will eliminate such stereotyping and support men to play a broader range of roles.
Equality is also about the situation and experience of a much wider diversity of groups.
It is also about challenging the age limits that block older people from employment and financial services, the denial of civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples, the exploitation of migrant workers, the inadequate provision of accommodation to Travellers, the lack of legal recognitions for transsexual people and the barriers to participation for people with disabilities.
Trivialisation is the authority’s fate in Waters’s piece. It is dismissed as taking only occasional test cases. Aosdána’s saoithe, who decried the dismantling of the authority, are patronised. They are told their concerns are unfounded as the authority is of little consequence. The authority is not a legal aid service. Equality legislation allows it to take cases where the case raises an important point of principle, or if it is not reasonable to expect the person to be able to take the case without assistance. In 2007, it held 737 casefiles covering all nine grounds of equality legislation.
Waters makes no mention of the work done by the authority to make people aware of their rights under the legislation or to support employers and service providers to be effective in eliminating discrimination and contributing to equality.
He shows no understanding of the contribution a body like the authority can make when it is independent and effective.
The authority can be the catalyst that supports a wide range of organisations to take up equality issues.
It can build a culture where people are confident to assert their rights. It can be the source of understanding on how to eliminate discrimination from our society.
This is why its demise is of concern. It is about a society where there are high levels of discrimination. In 2005, the Central Statistics Office published a survey that found 12.5 per cent of the population over-18 experienced discrimination in the preceding two years – over 380,000 people. It is the commitment to eliminating this injustice that the dismantling of the authority compromises.
Niall Crowley is the former chief executive of the Equality Authority