NWC tells UN that Ireland is policy-rich but implementation poor when it comes

Published: Monday, April 13, 2026

Worsening Housing Crisis Undermining Women's Fundamental Rights and Safety

The National Women’s Council tells UN that Ireland is policy-rich but implementation poor when it comes to gender equality

In a submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the National Women’s Council (NWC) has said that the deepening housing crisis has increased women’s risk of homelessness and trapped many in abusive situations.

The UPR is a global human rights check-in, where every UN Member State has its record reviewed by other countries roughly every 4–5 years. It results in concrete recommendations that governments can implement. The National Women’s Council says that many recommendations from the last review in 2021 remain only partially implemented. This is despite some huge leaps forward in policy, such as the National Strategy for Women and Girls and the Third National Strategy on Violence Against Women.

Corrinne Hasson, Executive Director of NWC, said:

“Ireland is policy-rich but implementation poor when it comes to gender equality. We have a lot of great examples of good policy, but the success of these policies depends on full resourcing, accountability, and implementation. Unfortunately when it comes to the overlap between the housing crisis and violence against women, good policy and collaboration between government departments is also lacking. There is a lack of joined up thinking on the mutually reinforcing relationship between these crises, and women are bearing the brunt of that.”

The NWC submission also calls out the lack of childcare as a major barrier to equality. Hasson continued:

“Ireland's gaps in childcare contribute to many of the inequalities we highlight in our UPR submission - from the lack of women in politics, to the 35% pension gap between men and women. Despite increased investment, childcare in Ireland remains unaffordable and inaccessible for many families. Without a public system of childcare, similar to our primary school system, women will continue to be locked out of full participation in work and public life.”

Women’s health is highlighted as a partial success story in the NWC document, with the Women’s Health Action Plan and the Free Contraception Scheme included. However, NWC says that barriers to abortion, gaps in mental health services, and significant health inequalities among Traveller, Roma, disabled, and migrant women spotlight a health system which is not equitable. A key call of NWC’s for many years now has been for a Mother and Baby Unit where post-partum women can receive in-patient support for mental health difficulties alongside their newborns.

NWC also says the climate crisis and energy insecurity are deepening gender inequality with rising fuel prices hitting women, who are likely to be poorer, much harder. The NWC submission highlights that Ireland is now unlikely to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreements and says a feminist climate justice approach is urgently required, which would involve investment in renewables and targeted  supports for those that most need it during the transition.

Find here NWC’s submission to the UPR: https://www.nwci.ie/learn/publication/national_womens_council_of_ireland_stakeholder_submission_to_the_universal