But people cannot survive on the state of the union alone. All the parties said that women organised autonomously within them, via 'women's groups' or 'women's forums'. None, however, appears to have a direct input to policy formation, though their members may sit on policy-making bodies. Broadly speaking, the parties also favour childcare in some form.
Alliance takes a similarly equivocal stance.
The Social Democratic and Labour party does offer conference childcare, and claims repeatedly to have lobbied government for a statutory right to nursery education for all. It is party policy to have similar provision at all meetings of SF, regardless of level or frequency. Externally, it supports a wide-ranging policy, including workplace childcare and free nursery education. The Progressive Unionist party also provides childcare at its annual policy-making meeting. On some human rights issues the parties take more divergent positions.