A report into the experiences of women of colour working in the Southwest has been launched.
Entitled, the Black Ceiling: Employment Experience of Women of Colour in Southwest Ireland; it was funded by the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission in partnership with the Phoenix Women's Centre & SHED, Tralee.
This report was authored by Professor Margaret Linehan of Munster Technological University and Dr Corina Sheerin of the National College of Ireland.
They conducted in-depth interviews with 18 women of colour working in rural communities throughout the southwest.
Employed in a wide range of industries, the women who hail from countries throughout Africa, South America, and Asia, are employed in retail, hospitality, the public sector, fashion, technology, and healthcare, and some have been living in Ireland for more than 30 years.
All are highly qualified, however, as the report shows, despite their qualifications, they experience barriers daily, because of their race and gender.
The report also includes interviews with employers, and it sets out recommendations for employers and policymakers to help overcome overt and covert racism experienced by women of colour in rural Ireland in a bid to create a more inclusive and equitable rural labour market.
The report was launched in Tralee by Minister for Education and Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Norma Foley.
A copy of the report is available here.
