Research Grant awarded to Phoenix Women’s Centre and SHED by IHREC.

A Research Grant has been awarded to Phoenix Women’s Centre and SHED by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC)

The research project entitled ‘An Examination of Intersectional Barriers in Employment in Rural Ireland: Race and Gender’ is to be undertaken from November 2022 to September 2023.

The Phoenix Women’s Centre and SHED has engaged the expertise of two highly esteemed academics, namely Prof Margaret Linehan (Munster Technological University, MTU) and Dr Corina Sheerin (National College of Ireland, NCI)

The aim of this project is to carry out research into the experiences of women of colour in relation to their occupational roles, their place of work and their efforts to find employment.

In this study, we aim to ‘give voice’ to women and examine how race and gender intersect in the (re)production of labour market barriers.

The research will explore the specific ways in which both gender and race (re)produce inequality in our labour market. It aims to propose a set of supports for employees and employers to combat the reproduction of intersectional bias and promote these to the relevant stakeholders.

The output from our research will raise awareness of existing inequality regimes and support the development of a set of recommendations which will inform human rights and equality-based legislation. For policymakers and community activists this research also has resonance and adds to the existing discourse regarding the need for social change and a more inclusive labour market.