I am currently updating the employment equality legislation and expect to being a Bill before the Oireachtas later this year. Since my appointment as Minister for Equality and Law Reform, a priority of my Department has been the promotion of equality of opportunity in the work place, including an improvement in the representation of women at decision making levels in employment. Indeed, one of the objective measures of progress in gender equality is the male-female ratio in management positions.
Under the aegis of my Department, the Employment Equality Agency adopts a pro-active role in the encouragement of both employers and trade unions to adopt equality policies, including promotion and recruitment at management level by the provision of guidance advice and published material. An equal opportunities project with a local authority and a large retail chain is currently being run by the agency, with funding assistance from the EU, and has an aim of increasing the number of women managers in each of these sectors. The agency also actively encourages the development of incentives and training courses to promote and encourage the participation of women at management level. Where discrimination in promotion occurs on the grounds of sex or marital status, the agency also assists in the preparation of a complaint under the Employment Equality Act.