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LABOUR TD ANNE Ferris says we must change the culture and the way that candidates are selected for election to correct the gender imbalance in the Dáil.
The TD for Wicklow / East Carlow is adding her voice to calls to help facilitate more women’s entry into politics.
Speaking at the Parnell Summer School in Wicklow, Deputy Ferris said what ‘say’ women have depends on their representation.
She pointed to an Oireachtas study, carried out in 2009, which outlined the five things women need changed before they can contribute more fully to politics.
They are confidence, childcare, cash, culture and candidate selection.
Failures
Deputy Ferris says the consequences of neglecting those 5′Cs’ are that in the last Dáil, 47 per cent of Irish women had no female TD to represent them, while 100 per cent of Irish men did have a male TD to represent them.
Anne Ferris says that creates a situation where comments, like those directed at her fellow TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor this summer, can freely be made.
In the infamous ’Miss Piggy’ incident, Independent TDs Mick Wallace, Luke Ming Flanagan and Shane Ross commented on the colour of Deputy Mitchell O’Connor’s clothing.
Consequences
Women make up 50 per cent of our population, but they are represented in the Dáil by a group of female politicians who comprise just 15 per cent of the total number of deputies in the current Dáil.
Anne Ferris quoted research that for women to exert a substantive influence on the decisions taken by the legislature, it must reach a critical mass of at least one third of the seats present.
Deputy Ferris wondered, in her speech, whether the under-representation of women might account for certain historical injustices in this country such as the Magdalene Laundries, and the sexual abuse of children by priests.
Legislation
Labour’s Ms Ferris has, perhaps not surprisingly, applauded the government’s legislative initiative to introduce controversial gender quotas.
The new rules will force parties to choose 30 per cent female candidates in the next election, rising to 40 per cent after 7 years.
For her part, the deputy says she will work to increase the number of women on State Boards. Under the Programme for Government, women should make up 40 per cent of all State Boards.
She singled out the upcoming presidential election as one that does offer a fair breakdown of female to male candidates, but added that it wasn’t enough that this should be the exception, rather than the rule.
Last week, in a piece she wrote for TheJournal.ie, Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor said the Dáil is nowhere close to providing equality in representation.
The Dun Laoghaire representative said the fact that the Dáil has only 25 female TDs out of a total of 166 a ‘shocking indictment’ of our system.
She went on to outline statistics that showed on 15 per cent of candidates in the last election were women, while there were no women candidates at all in four constituencies.
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Suggesting lack of cash is a bit ridiculous.
Yeah how could they make space I’m their ?100,000 salary for child care?
What the hell?? I don’t care whether or not someone “representing my views” is a man or a woman, as long as they do it properly. Gender doesn’t come into it. I’d rather have one capable politician in my constituency (doesn’t matter if male or not) than one half-suitable woman who was only put there to ensure gender quotas were met. Gender quotas this will only do ‘female politics’ an injustice. If anyone wants to get into politics, they’ll find a way.
Childcare is a massive problem for all parents trying to get out to work. It’s just too damn expensive. Wish I had a td’s salary. : (
I would say the lack of any inspirational models is a bigger reason…………..
What about the two Mary’s????
i imagine the lack of cash and childcare are issues prior to being a TD im sure many women would find it very hard with childcare to attend all meetings ect at local level.
These people make enough money to pay for standard child care. You tell me what family, what mother, doesn’t want enough money for childcare, school expenses, and all of the associated costs mentioned. Nevermind to enter politics but just to enter the workforce. This woman has her head up her arse. I could empathise if she was speaking on behalf of women just trying to get out and work, but she’s not. What she is essentially saying here is, "Geez, if we gave women more of these benefits then they could be just like me." Serious ego problems there. I’d prefer women to get the same benefits just to get normal jobs that are sustainable.
why not set up a Dail creche shur? then everyone can bring the kids to work
Because not every TD is from Dublin I imagine….
And also, becoming a TD does not start as you waltz in the door and get your payslip. There are years as a councillor or local representative first usually. For childcare to stop being an impediment it needs to be available for all.
Because not every TD lives in Dublin…
And most political careers don’t start with the person waltzing into the dail and getting the payslip. There are years of local work required first, childcare needs to be available for everyone for it to stop being an impediment.
The civil servants that work for the Oireachtas have a reduced cost crèche facility. I would be very surprised if TD’s didn’t have similar arrangements.
There is a Dail creche, very few of them used it (as evidenced by that clown Gogarty bringing his kid along to press conferences as a prop!)
The problem for TD’s?! What about normal working mums? A lot of women find going back to work after having a baby heartwrenching. If you want to have a family here you have two choices… Family or work, something has to give. It seems take you cant have both here. Financially it can be impossible (in terms of childcare costs for several children). Then running a home/raising a family and long commutes coupled with long working hours can be too much. The fact that you cant opt for part time until your children go to school pushes many women out of the work place completely. This perpetuates the ‘glass ceiling’ for many women who find they have no choice put to give up work until children are older. By the time they return to work they’ve lost skills and relevance. I’d like to see part time become available for all (and not just for mothers, as an option for further study etc). I think it would encourage more highly skilled workers stay in the workplace which is beneficial for employers and for the workers themselves. In the Netherlands if an
employee returns from
Maternity leave they’re entitled to part time employment if they so wish. In the U.K. job-sharing is available. I do think more women in the Dail would help highlight these issues and others affecting women across the board. But on the whole having an onsite Creche and â
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