Changing Economic and Social Worlds of Irish Women

We have just lived through a decade of enormous change in the economic and social position of Irish women. From a traditional position in which the majority of women were carers - unpaid carers - women now occupy the dual role of carer-earner. The majority of women are now in paid employment, including women with children, married women and a significant proportion of women lone parents. This has meant huge changes in women's lives, changes which have been brought about by the decisions and choices of thousands of individual women, despite the lack of policies or support systems to facilitate such change. This chapter explores some of the key aspects of the economic and social policy frameworks that shape, and sometimes determine, the changing patterns of Irish women's lives.