The respectable woman

Misogyny is defined as the hatred of, contempt for or prejudice against women or girls, and is prevalent on a systemic and cultural level in the North.

Femicide is the intentional killing of a woman based on her gender. It is the most brutal consequence of a society that allows for misogyny to continue without accountability.

Research carried out by Ulster University and IMPACT Research Centre suggests that 98% of women in Northern Ireland have experienced at least one form of violence or abuse in their lifetime.

With the staggering number of domestic abuse cases and the growing rate of femicide in the country, the people, women’s rights activists and politicians are urging the government to implement safety protocols for women.

Politics and religion

While sectarian and political violence contributes to the maltreatment of women in Ireland, and specifically the North, it is not a simple case of one community against the other, but rather systemic misogyny versus women.

The Troubles, the North’s most prolific conflict that spanned three decades, which was widely accepted as coming to an end in 1998 after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, caused the deaths of over 3,700 people and injured over 47,000 more.

The majority of deaths from the conflict were men, but the lasting generational trauma has affected thousands of men, women and children alike. It has created a society, especially in the Catholic communities, that distrusts the authorities that are supposed to keep them safe.

Both communities were affected in different ways. Tracy Harrison, a member of the Trauma and Counselling team at Derry Well Woman, a women’s health organisation in Northern Ireland, shared the pressures that women who lived during the Troubles have dealt with.

“Women carried the emotional and practical burden of keeping families safe, coping with bereavement, managing households under stress, and dealing with trauma that still affects them today.

“Catholic and Protestant women faced different pressures, such as internment in some families or security‑force involvement in others, but the impact was shared. Women were the ones who held communities together, organising support networks and advocating for prisoners’ families even though their experiences were often overlooked.”

During the Troubles women still faced rampant misogyny, they faced threats and intimidation from paramilitary groups, did not report domestic abuse due to fear and community pressure, and were subject to harassment at checkpoints, with Catholic women being particularly subjected to this.

Still today the legacy of the conflict continues to affect the culture in the North.

The socially conservative culture in Northern Ireland is also used as a tool for politics to exploit misogyny. High Church attendance rates and an emphasis on family life and community being central to the culture remain a pillar for traditional values.

Many secondary schools do not offer adequate sex education and instead endorse abstinence, which leads to a lack of understanding about consent and safe sex. Where it is taught it is rare that issues around LGBTQ+ relationships are discussed.

Not providing young people with the education and tools required for healthy relationships leads to shame and awkwardness around the topics and an unwillingness to have the conversations as they grow older.

Teaching consent and safety from an early age can decrease sexual violence and show them how to establish and recognise boundaries.

Leadership at Stormont is held by First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The power-sharing system required by the Good Friday Agreement means that these positions must be filled by the largest Nationalist and Unionist parties but remains a point of contention in government.

Since its beginning in 1999, Stormont has been suspended six times, totalling almost a decade where Northern Ireland once again came under Direct Rule and legislation was either frozen or passed in Westminster or by Orders in Council by the UK government.

This caused further political unrest in the country after a long fight for devolution, which has strong links to gender-based violence.

Growing concerns

Misogyny can shape every aspect of women’s lives and counsellors like Harrison can see the toll it takes.

“The most common issues we see are mental‑health struggles, trauma, domestic abuse, coercive control, relationship pressures, poverty, women’s health concerns and the legacy of the Troubles. The issues aren’t isolated, they’re intertwined and often go unspoken until women find a safe space like ours.

“Women come to us for a variety of reasons. They might feel dismissed in healthcare settings, judged for their choices as mothers, partners, or single women, pressured by gender roles and expectations, silenced within their families or communities, or unsafe in public or online spaces.

“They experience gender‑based violence, emotional abuse or inequality in their homes, workplaces and communities. These issues are often linked to wider social pressures, stigma and the inheritance of the Troubles.”

Coercive control is designed to isolate victims and make them dependent on their abusers, often feeling like they have no one else to turn to.

The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 made coercive control a criminal offence, strengthening power police have to investigate it.

However, with instances of this, the PSNI acknowledges that there may be a lack of physical evidence.

“Investigations into coercive control focus on identifying patterns of behaviour over time and can include gathering digital evidence, witness accounts, phone records, messages, financial information, CCTV, previous incident history and victim statements.

“Officers receive specific training in recognising coercive and controlling behaviour and understanding the wider context of abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial harm.”

Misogyny and violence against women and girls is not only a problem in real life, but also online.

With the growth of the “manosphere” and worrying ideologies about a woman’s place in society being spread worldwide by politicians, influencers and everyday people, there has been an uptake in misogynistic messaging, Northern Ireland has been deeply affected as well.

O’Connor-Pozo worries what this means for women in the country.

“I hate to be pessimistic, but I’ve found the trend of really extreme misogyny, particularly online, has been really concerning and scary. It’s been a terrifying trend and it’s something we all need to push back on because it’s life or death.”

Prominent Irish celebrities like Conor McGregor have been closely linked to the manosphere and perpetuate a culture of toxic masculinity.

In 2024, Nikita Hand won a civil rape case against the UFC fighter following claims he “brutally raped” her, and McGregor was ordered to pay her over €248,000. He lost an appeal against the court’s decision in 2025.

Yet his return to the UFC and a fight on a worldwide stage has just been announced.

His loss in the rape trial and his multiple misogynistic comments about women, like when he called an opponent’s wife a “little ho”, spread a dangerous message, and his ability to return to the UFC with no repercussions sets a terrifying precedent that this behaviour is acceptable.

The popularisation of AI-usage also presents a challenge for women, as legislation struggles to keep up with the negative effects.

Stormont politician Cara Hunter MLA was the victim of a cruel deepfake attack during an election campaign in 2022.

The video showed an AI generated image of Hunter in pornographic positions. When she contacted police, they informed her that no crime had been committed.

Unlike England and Wales, there is no current legislation protecting women from these violent cyber-attacks, but politicians like Hunter and Justice Minister Naomi Long are pushing for the criminalisation of creating and sharing sexually explicit deepfakes in relation to adults.

In a public consultation published, Long said victims of these deepfakes reported feeling embarrassed, humiliated, violated and unsafe.

“They can suffer from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and some people even consider suicide because of their experiences.

“In short, this is an issue which can ruin lives, which is why we are proposing to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images.”

Poverty and abuse

There are disparities when it comes to employment in the country. Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK where the gender pay gap has been consistently rising since 2020, currently sitting at 7.9%.

Women are more likely to be in part-time or low-paying jobs as they take on more of the domestic duties.

There is a distinct connection between poverty and vulnerability to domestic abuse. A lack of financial freedom leaves women unable to leave abusive situations and increases the risk of violence due to financial stress.

The trauma from abuse can lead to mental health issues that affects women’s employment and it is important that workplaces can acknowledge this and provide support where possible.

Scott says the WHSCT welcomes this.

“One of the main ways that managers would be encouraged to support is with simple things like flexibility around working hours or work locations. Maybe a wee bit of flexibility around timings that somebody can come into work.
“Those are kind of the things that we would encourage managers to consider in conversation with the individual, and to look sympathetically on absence management procedures and requests for time off to attend appointments.”

What needs to change?

Women are calling out for serious changes to be made to improve their wellbeing and safety in Northern Ireland, on individual and governmental levels.

The country is the only part of the UK without a dedicated women’s safety and health minister. When the government does not operate in support of women, this breeds a culture that thinks that misogyny is a non-issue and that the maltreatment of women is acceptable.

Organisations like The Athrù Project, a youth-led group, are petitioning for the appointment of a women’s safety minister to Stormont amid the rise in violence against women in the country. The petition currently sits at over 1800 signatures.

Misogyny is not considered a hate crime in Northern Ireland and with the rise in violence against women and girls, politicians and organisations are urging the government to make changes to this.

The Equality Coalition, an alliance of NGOs and trade unions dedicated to promoting equality in Northern Ireland, submitted evidence to the Justice Committee to amend the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill to include a misogyny aggravator, which has received strong support.

It recommended following the Scottish model and adding a protected characteristic linked expressly to misogyny to Part 6 of the Bill, as well as shifting to an aggravated offence model which would result in charges being “misogynistic assault” rather than basic, so the hate aspect is recorded and investigated.

Policing in the North also needs to see major changes in response to the violence. An independent review into the death of Katie Simpson, who was murdered by her sister’s abusive partner, highlight the PSNI’s failings.

The PSNI communications department acknowledged the need for systemic changes.

“The Chief Constable has publicly acknowledged the need for organisational learning and cultural change, and the PSNI has committed to implementing recommendations arising from the reviews.

“The PSNI has introduced enhanced officer training in domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking and non-fatal strangulation as part of its wider Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan. More than 6,000 officers and staff have undertaken revised domestic abuse training, including training focused on recognising coercive and controlling behaviour.”

Changes need to be made on a massive scale for women to have access to support when dealing with misogynistic abuse. Ciara O’Connor-Pozo highlights what can be done on small and large scales to create a more equal culture in the country.

“The ideology that takes women as objects, as lesser than men and as property of men is so dangerous and lethal and it leads men to think they can harm their partners. I think it’s so important that we are feminists and combatting that ideology amongst our friends, relatives, in our workplaces. That is something we all have the power to do.

“I think at the executive level more resources need to be put in place for the frontline services that support people experiencing domestic violence. I think there is also a broader issue of poverty and depravation that governments need to keep in mind when drafting social poverty.

“And funding services. Right now, it is not enough. This is an absolute crisis and however much money they have put into it is still not enough.”

 

There is still hope for the future. Tracy Harrison shares some strides that have already been made towards a culture free from abuse and misogyny.

“Today, women are more likely to voice their experiences and seek support. This shift has been one of the most important changes we’ve witnessed.

“Misogyny is now recognised as a social issue, not a private one.  Over the decades, we’ve seen stronger domestic‑abuse legislation, greater public awareness, more trauma informed approaches and more support organisations like Derry Well Woman.

“Women’s confidence and leadership have grown in areas like education, community leadership and in self-advocacy.”

WHSCT has run outreach programmes and information stands in partnership with the PSNI and Women’s Aid to provide information to victims of domestic violence. Scott said these stands are helpful to abuse victims who may not be ready at the time they come across them to leave a relationship.

“A woman and her child stopped at the table. I asked ‘Are you okay? Can I help you with anything?’ And she said she just wanted a leaflet to take with her and needed to know who to ring.

“You just don’t know where somebody might see a wee leaflet sitting and pick it up and keep it for when they’re ready.

“There are so many things that people, depending on their circumstances, have to think about before they make that call. They think about logistics and ‘If I say this and I’m not believed what happens to my babies?’”

It is clear that the women in the North are demanding change. On every level more needs to be done to protect them and create a society where they can be safe, respected and equal to men.

Tracy Harrison believes that the inclusion of women in these conversations is essential for achieving equality.

“Women must be included in shaping policy. Government should increase women’s representation in leadership, fund women’s community organisations and ensure women’s voices are central in peacebuilding and post‑conflict work. Equality requires both cultural and structural change.”

For women in the North words are not enough, action needs to be taken to ensure that the violence against women and girls cannot continue.

To see real change, Stormont must implement legislation that deters the violence, communities must speak out against abuses of power and people must recognise and challenge the biases that have been ingrained in them by a culture that has swept the poor treatment of women under the rug.

In her 1969 autobiography ‘The Price of my Soul’, Irish civil rights activist Bernadette Devlin wrote: “We were born into an unjust system; we are not prepared to grow old in it.”

The lingering message of fighting against systemic inequalities in the country still rings true today.

Resources

If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, you can reach out for support from the following organisations:

Women’s Aid Federation NI

Derry Well Woman

Rowan Sexual Assault Referral Centre

Revenge Porn Helpline