Landmark study on the experiences of women of colour working in rural communities in southwest Ireland

• The Black Ceiling examines employment barriers to women of colour in southwest Ireland
• The report was undertaken by Professor Margaret Linehan of Munster Technological University and Dr Corina Sheerin of National College of Ireland

Tralee, October 20^th, 2023: A major report launched today provides valuable insights into the experiences of women of colour working in rural areas of Ireland.  The report was funded by the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission (IHREC).

Entitled The Black Ceiling: Employment Experience of Women of Colour in Southwest Ireland, the substantial report was authored by Professor Margaret Linehan of Munster Technological University and Dr Corina Sheerin of the National College of Ireland.

The two academics conducted in-depth interviews with 18 women of colour working in rural communities throughout the southwest region. 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 thirty years.

All are highly qualified, however, as The Black Ceiling 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.

Speaking at the launch of the reportin Tralee,  Professor Margaret Linehan, Head of the School of Humanities, MTU said, “This is the first time that women of colour in rural Ireland are given an opportunity to describe their lived experiences of seeking employment or being in employment in rural Ireland. The report highlights additional barriers these women encounter due to their race and gender. The report also provides practical recommendations for employers and policymakers. It also highlights overt and covert racial discrimination these women face daily,” Professor Linehan added.

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Commenting on the launch of the report, Dr Corina Sheerin of the National College of Ireland, said, “The interviews revealed that women of colour face both overt and covert discrimination daily as they navigate the labour market”.

The report also set out the employer perspective, and “while examples of good practice relating to diversity and inclusion were evident from those progressive employers who understood the benefits of a multicultural workforce, for most of the women interviewed, microaggressions, unconscious bias and racial and gender discrimination were experienced daily” said Dr Sheerin.