SDG 5.a.1 Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure, is reported on by the CSO, Farm Structure Survey.
Just over 1 in 4 (27%) of family and regular non-family workers were female in 2016. A very slight decrease from 27.5% in 2013. See Table 3.2.
In 2002, there were 136,300 family farms in Ireland, 10.7 % of which were in female ownership.
Females however represented 26.1% of all farm workers on family farms. See Table 3.3.
Out of the 240,100 family farm workers, 136,300 (56.8%) were owners.
Spouses accounted for 17% of family farm workers whilst other family workers accounted for 20.8%.
Regular non-family workers accounted for the remaining 5.5%. See Table 3.4.
SDG 5.a.2 Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control is guaranteed under the Constitution of Ireland.
Article 40 in the Constitution of Ireland refers to personal rights and states:
1 All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law.
This shall not be held to mean that the State shall not in its enactments have due regard to differences of capacity, physical and moral, and of social function.
3.1 The State guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the personal rights of the citizen.
3.2 The State shall, in particular, by its laws protect as best it may from unjust attack and, in the case of injustice done, vindicate the life, person, good name, and property rights of every citizen.
SDG 5.b.1 Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, is reported on by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg).
ComReg is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of the electronic communications sector (telecommunications, radio communications, broadcasting transmission and premium rate services) and the postal sector.
ComReg have a wide range of responsibilities in telecommunications (or electronic communications services and networks as it is more accurately described), posts and spectrum management. They operate under Irish and EU Legislation in these areas.
They are responsible for facilitating competition, for protecting consumers and for encouraging innovation. Their role involves dealing with complex issues of law, economics and technology, and ensuring that their decisions are taken fairly and are clearly explained. ComReg operates as a collegiate body, with decisions taken collectively by the Commissioners. They see this as important in fulfilling the spirit of the Communications Regulation Act, 2002, which established the Commission.
Table 3.2 shows the total number of mobile phone subscriptions (both contract and prepaid) inclusive of and exclusive of mobile broadband subscriptions in Ireland. A prepaid subscriber refers to an active prepaid subscriber - i.e. those who have made an event that decrements their balance in the previous 90 days such as a pre-paid top up, outgoing call, SMS, MMS or mobile internet usage. A contract customer refers to a customer with a current contract subscription. This chart provides separate lines for mobile subscriptions with and without mobile broadband data cards, USB modems and machine to machine (M2M) subscriptions.
At the end of Q2 2020 there were 6,738,457 mobile subscriptions (including mobile broadband and M2M), an increase of just over 69,000 since Q4 2019.
Mobile subscriptions (excluding mobile broadband and M2M) totalled 5,067,250, a decrease of over 93,000 since the last quarter of 2019. See Table 3.5 and Figure 3.1.
| Mobile Subscriptions inc. MBB and M2M | |
| 2016 Q4 | 5892448 |
| 2017 Q4 | 6020694 |
| 2018 Q4 | 6282346 |
| 2019 Q4 | 6669317 |
| 2020 Q2 | 6738457 |
Individuals: Use of smartphones
In the CSO ‘Information Society Statistics – Households’ survey in 2018 respondents were asked about their use of smartphones for private purposes.
Overall, more than three quarters (77%) of all individuals aged 16-74 years use a smartphone for private purposes - 76% of which were males and 78% were females.
Smartphone usage increases for persons who used the internet within the previous year - nine tenths of persons who have used the internet in the previous twelve months, used a smartphone. Smartphone usage was highest for students at 98%.
For individuals who have used the internet within the last twelve months, there was little difference between deprivation quintiles - 94% of persons in the fifth quintile - very affluent deprivation quintile who recently used the internet (within the last three months) use a smartphone compared with 90% of persons in the first quintile - very disadvantaged deprivation quintile. See Table 3.6 and Map 5.1.
SDG 5.c.1 Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment; information in respect of SDG 5.c.1 is provided by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Gender equality goals are set out in the whole-of-Government statements of priority on gender equality which include the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020; the 2nd National Strategy for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence; the 3rd National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, as well as in other policies such as the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026. Gender equality goals are also included in mainstream policies such as the National Carers Strategy; the National Physical Activity Plan; the 2nd HSE National Intercultural Strategy; and the National STEM Education Policy and Action Plan.
Funding for activities under the above whole-of-Government policies is provided for in the Vote of the relevant Government Department. The Constitution provides for the Comptroller and Auditor General to carry out an audit of the State's accounts every year and report to Dáil Éireann. The audit also examines whether expenditure has been applied in the manner specified by law. The reports are examined by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, which has a role to play in ensuring that there is accountability and transparency in the way Government agencies allocate, spend and manage their finances.
Under the Equality Budgeting Initiative introduced from 2018, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform provides specific guidance on gender-responsive budget allocations. Equality Budgeting metrics are reported at two points in the budgetary cycle: the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) published annually towards end Q4 and the Public Service Performance Report published annually usually at beginning Q2, but later in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Ex ante gender impact assessment is carried out on key policies and programmes. Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is a tool used for the structured exploration of different options to address particular policy issues, where one or more of these options is new regulation or a regulatory change. The RIA Guidelines provide for considering the potential impacts on people of different genders, marital status, family status, ages, disabilities, sexual orientation, race, religion and on members of the Traveller community.
Ex post gender impact assessment is also carried out on key policies and programmes. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an analytical framework that is designed to examine the demographic profile of public services users, and how they are impacted by budgetary policy decisions.
Limited data is currently available for this indicator. We expect to have further information available in 2021.
Cross-Government Questionnaire
Criterion 1. Which of the following aspects of public expenditure are reflected in your government programs and its resource allocations? In the last completed fiscal year) |
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Question 1.1. Are there policies and/or programs of the government designed to address well identified gender equality goals, including those where gender equality is not the primary objective (such as public services, social protection and infrastructure) but incorporate action to close gender gaps? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes Gender equality goals are set out in the whole-of-Government statements of priority on gender equality which include the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020; in the 2nd National Strategy for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence; the 3rd National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, as well as in other policies such as the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026. Gender equality goals are also included in mainstream policies such as the National Carers Strategy; the National Physical Activity Plan; the 2nd HSE National Intercultural Strategy and the National STEM Education Policy and Action Plan. |
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Question 1.2. Do these policies and/or programs have adequate resources allocated within the budget, sufficient to meet both their general objectives and their gender equality goals? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes Funding for activities under the above whole-of-Government policies are provided for in the Vote of the relevant Government Department. |
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Question 1.3. Are there procedures in place to ensure that these resources are executed according to the budget? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes The Constitution provides for the Comptroller and Auditor General to carry out an audit of the State's accounts every year and report to Dáil Eireann. The audit also examines whether expenditure has been applied in the manner specified by law. The reports are examined by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, which has a role to play in ensuring that there is accountability and transparency in the way Government agencies allocate, spend and manage their finances. |
Criterion 2. To what extent does your Public Financial Management system promote gender-related or gender-responsive goals? (In the last completed fiscal year) |
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Question 2.1. Does the Ministry of Finance/budget office issue call circulars, or other such directives, that provide specific guidance on gender-responsive budget allocations? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes |
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Question 2.2. Are key policies and programs, proposed for inclusion in the budget, subject to an ex ante gender impact assessment? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes From Revised RIA Guidelines (2009) – 4.47: “The RIA should also consider the potential impacts on people of different genders, marital status, family status, ages, disabilities, sexual orientation, race, religion and on members of the traveller community.” |
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Question 2.3. Are sex-disaggregated statistics and data used across key policies and programs in a way which can inform budget-related policy decisions? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Not in a systematic way. |
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Question 2.4. Does the government provide, in the context of the budget, a clear statement of gender-related objectives (i.e. gender budget statement or gender responsive budget legislation)? (Yes=1/No=0) |
No |
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Question 2.5. Are budgetary allocations subject to “tagging” including by functional classifiers, to identify their linkage to gender-equality objectives? (Yes=1/No=0) |
No |
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Question 2.6. Are key policies and programs subject to ex post gender impact assessment? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an analytical framework that is designed to examine the demographic profile of public services users, and how they are impacted by budgetary policy decisions. |
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Question 2.7. Is the budget as a whole subject to independent audit to assess the extent to which it promotes gender-responsive policies? (Yes=1/No=0) |
No |
Criterion 3. Are allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment made public? (In the last completed fiscal year) |
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Question 3.1. Is the data on gender equality allocations published? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes |
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Question 3.2. If published, has this data been published in an accessible manner on the Ministry of Finance (or office responsible for budget) website and/or related official bulletins or public notices? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) |
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Question 3.3. If so, has the data on gender equality allocations been published in a timely manner? (Yes=1/No=0) |
Yes REV is published annually towards end Q4; Performance Report published annually at beginning Q2 (later this year due to pandemic). |
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