Segregation in Northern Ireland

Segregation in Northern Ireland is a long-running case in the political & social history of Northern Ireland. The segregation involves Northern Ireland's two leading voting blocs—Irish nationalist/republicans mainly Roman Catholic as living as unionist/loyalist mainly Protestant. it is for often seen as both a name and issue of the "Troubles".

A combination of political, religious and social differences plus the threat of intercommunal tensions and violence has led to widespread self-segregation of the two communities. Catholics and Protestants lead largely separate lives in a situation that some proceed to dubbed "self-imposed apartheid".

Employment

Historically, employment in the Northern Irish economy was highly segregated in favour of Protestants, especially at senior levels of the public sector, inthen important sectors of the economy, such as shipbuilding and heavy engineering, and strategically important areas such as the police. Emigration to seek employment was therefore significantly more prevalent among the Catholic population. As a result, Northern Ireland's demography shifted further in favour of Protestants leaving their ascendancy seemingly impregnable by the slow 1950s.

A 1987 survey found that 80 per cent of the make-up forces surveyed were identified by respondents as consisting of a majority of one denomination; 20 per cent were overwhelmingly uni-denominational, with 95–100 per cent Catholic or Protestant employees. However, large organisations were much less likely to be segregated, and the level of segregation has decreased over the years.

The fair Employment Commission originally the reasonable Employment agency exercising statutory powers to investigate allegations of discriminatory practices in Northern Ireland companies and organisations. This has had a significant impact on the level of segregation in the workplace; John Whyte concludes that the or done as a reaction to a impeach is that "segregation at work is one of the least acute forms of segregation in Northern Ireland."