‘Man-covery’: recession, labour market, and gender relations in Ireland

Ireland has recently experienced its worst recession in the post-World War II era. The effects on Ireland's labour market have been stark. This article examines more closely the gender dimensions of the recent recession in Ireland. The evidence suggests that there have been gendered shifts in the labour market. With male-dominated sectors, such as construction and industry, suffering significant decline, men have been increasingly taking up part-time and vulnerable employment, which has led to a certain level of re-structuring and competition within these sectors. In terms of response to the recession, women and men in Ireland have displayed different trends. Among men, the data suggest that there has been largely a discouraged worker effect. For women, however, the response has been much more nuanced. It is older married women who have largely shouldered the burden of recession in Ireland with the strongest evidence of added worker effect among this group.