Research shows Catholics gained more from NI peace process than Protestants
Research shows Catholics gained more from NI peace process than Protestants
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Monday, March 31, 2008
Catholics have gained more than Protestants from the peace process in Northern Ireland, new research said today.
Ten years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, it is the minority community which is making the most of the opportunities in the post-troubles era.
A study undertaken by academics from Queen's University, Belfast found that Catholics:
:: Have made significant inroads into the workforce
:: Are now more likely to have a degree than Protestants
:: Are now less likely to leave school with no qualifications than Protestants
:: Are reducing child poverty faster than Protestants
Professor Richard English, who headed the research team, said the social and economic benefits of peace appear to be flowing to the Catholic community - and in particular the Catholic middle-class - faster than the Protestant community.
``There is a significant breakdown in terms of the ways in which different sections of both communities have intersected with the changing, new Northern Ireland,'' he said.
``Broadly speaking, in terms of educational and employment opportunities, the less advantaged groups within the Protestant community have tended to do far less well than their equivalent group within the Catholic community.
``So in that sense, while you can't talk starkly about winners and losers in the last decade in Northern Ireland, what you can do is point to a community on the Catholic side which has more uniformly enjoyed the benefits of the changes than has been the case on the Protestant side of the divide.''
Belfast Telegraph
