Discrimination in Ireland

Members of the Black Ethnic Group Report the Highest Rates of Discrimination

In 2010, 12% of adults in Ireland said that they were discriminated against in the preceding two years, according to a new report published today (Friday 14 December) by the ESRI and the Equality Authority. The highest rates of reported discrimination were in recruitment (6%) and in the workplace (5%). In services, discrimination was highest for accessing housing (3%) and using financial services such as banks and insurance services (2.5%). The lowest rates were for education (just over 1%), 'other public services' (just over 1%) and transport services (0.4%). People of Black ethnicity are almost four times more likely to report experience of discrimination than White Irish people and over five times more likely than White Irish to report serious discrimination, even after controlling for a range of other factors. They report higher rates of discrimination both in work and in many service settings. The results are based on new analysis of the CSO's Quarterly National Household Survey: Equality Module 2010, which asked adults in Ireland about their experience of discrimination in a range of different situations. These data were collected after the labour market entered deep recession and in the report they are compared with data from an earlier Equality Module conducted in 2004 during the economic boom. Since 2004 there has been a fall in service-related discrimination, from around 9% to 7%, though there has been stability in work-related discrimination, at around 7-8%. Other Key Findings At Work and Accessing Services 2010

• Women are more likely to experience discrimination than men, particularly in the workplace. In services as a whole there is no difference between men and women, although women are more likely to experience discrimination in health and education and men in financial services.
• The 45-64 year old group is more likely to report work-related discrimination, specifically in seeking employment. They are also more likely to report that this had a serious impact on their lives.
• People with a disability are more likely to report discrimination in services, particularly in health and transport. They are also more likely to report serious discrimination.
• Asians and Other ethnic groups are more likely to report discrimination in both work and some services than White Irish, although less likely than the Black ethnic group.
• Only one in ten of those experiencing discrimination took formal or legal action in response. Those that did take action tended to be more economically secure and to have better knowledge of their rights.

Change Over Time: 2004 & 2010

• There is relatively little change in the experience of discrimination between 2004 and 2010 – there are strong similarities in the overall rate, the settings, the grounds and the actions taken in response to discrimination.
• However, there was a small rise in serious discrimination: of those who reported discrimination, the percentage reporting that it had a serious effect on their lives increased from 25% in 2004 to 32% in 2010.
• In 2004 the Black minority ethnic group had a high risk of discrimination in a range of settings, and this had significantly increased by 2010. There was also a significant increase in the risk of serious discrimination for this group.
• The risk of discrimination remains higher for those with a disability than for those without a disability in 2010, but the gap has narrowed since 2004.

Welcoming the report, Renee Dempsey, CEO of the Equality Authority, said: “Discrimination remains an enormous challenge to Irish society. We need to strengthen our commitment to equality in Ireland as a key element of our strategy for economic recovery." She also highlighted that: "It remains the case that those most at risk of discrimination are least likely to know their rights. This research shows that knowing your rights makes a real difference and addressing this issue will be a particular challenge to the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission "

Note to Editors: 1. Analysing the Experience of Discrimination in Ireland: Evidence from the QNHS Equality Module 2010, by Frances McGinnity, Dorothy Watson and Gillian Kingston (ESRI), will be published online on the ESRI website at www.esri.ie, and The Equality Authority website at www.equality.ie at 00:01 a.m. Friday 14th December. 2. The embargo is until 00:01 a.m. Friday 14 December. 3. Members of the Media are invited to attend a media briefing at 10am Thursday 13 December, at the ESRI. 4. This study was commissioned by The Equality Authority and is one of three reports based on analysis of the Equality Module 2010. Two further reports will be published shortly. 5. The study is jointly published by The Equality Authority and the Economic and Social Research Institute, and is supported by the European Union's PROGRESS Programme (2007-2013). The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and are not attributable to the Equality Authority, the ESRI or the European Commission. The Equality Authority is a State Agency which is mandated to promote equality and eliminate discrimination in the workplace and in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education. The Equality Authority is currently merging with the Irish Human Rights Commission to form the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).