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Women in Northern Ireland have a variety of concerns in regards to their overall treatment in society. Some areas of concern include domestic violence, poverty, poor housing conditions, unemployment, and a wide array of larger political issues.

Historic Feminism

Irish women have a long history of involvement in political movements. In 1798, women were involved in the United Irish movement in a number of ways. For instance, Irish women transported arms, kept the Irish rebels fed, clothed, and would help to defend their camps. United Irish meetings were frequently held at women owned pubs as well. The 1960s also saw heavy involvement from women in Northern Ireland in different civil rights campaigns. Irish women engaged in and organized numerous protests regarding housing and employment discrimination within the Catholic communities in Derry and Belfast. Internment of Catholic men in August of 1971 greatly impacted the lives of Catholic women. Women began to represent the men in their community in a number of protests as well as develop strategies to warn their community of the army's location. Those women who would warn the community would later be known as 'hen patrols.'

Criminal Justice System

The latter half of the twentieth century saw a dramatic increase of women in Northern Ireland entering the criminal justice system. This was largely due to the conflicts between the republicans and unionists. Prior to 1976, the women who were imprisoned as a result of these conflicts were labeled political prisoners. When the policy of special categorization ended in 1976, these women were all labeled terrorists under the law. These women were mostly engaging in civil disobedient acts such as rent strikes, however many of them were brought into prison through the Emergency Powers Act with, 'aiding and abetting terrorism.'

The Roisin McAliskey Case

The arrest and incarceration of Belfast native Roisin McAliskey in 1996 gained international attention. Although never charged with a crime, McAliskey was reportedly interrogated for six days. McAliskey's detainment sparked outrage from a number of human rights organizations due to her treatment as a pregnant woman.

Present Day

Since the ceasefire of 1994, funding from the European Union enabled a number of community based women's group to come to fruition in Northern Ireland.

Finalize Your Topic and Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Northern_Ireland

Women in Northern Ireland

Sources:
 * 1) Women in Northern Ireland by Megan Sullivan
 * 2) Shattering silence: women, nationalism, and political subjectivity in Northern Ireland by [null Begoña] [null Aretxaga]
 * 3) Out of Order: The Political Imprisonment of Women in Northern Ireland 1972-1998 by Mary Corcoran
 * 4) Women divided: gender, religion, and politics in Northern Ireland by Rosemary Sales
 * 5) Political Representation of Women in Northern Ireland by Elisabeth Porter