ABSTRACT
It is apparent that legislation on its own will not suffice; there needs to be a genuine commitment to equality from the State. That means tackling of barriers to inclusion, be they educational, attitudinal or practical. We need to reflect different and new ways of working; methods that embrace, not exclude, diversity. Equally, the current crisis in childcare must be resolved. The role of parenting is seen as a women’s role, a point reinforced by the provisions of the Constitution, and more recently reinforced with the introduction of the Adoption Leave Act 1995. While this State grants beneficial tax regimes to industries, such as the horse industry, the same benefits are not available to parents. Do we value horses more dearly than parents in the workforce? The time for a genuine commitment to equality has come.
