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The effects of the global financial crisis and Government policies to address it are driving many Northern Ireland women back into the home, a major new report on the economy revealed this week.

The Northern Ireland Economy: Women on the Edge? report warns that the response to the recession, including proposed welfare reforms and cuts in public spending, threaten to reverse years of struggle for equality in the workplace.

The report (which was written for the Women’s Resource and Development Agency) is a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the role of women in the Northern Ireland economy. It examines in detail the place of women in the labour market and the economy; their income in broad terms – wages, benefits, pensions etc; and the effects of the financial crisis on their lives.