A UNITED NATIONS committee has highlighted the low representation of woman in the Dáil and at Cabinet as “priority issues” that must be addressed by the state.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission stated that it welcomed the findings of the UN Committee, which is tasked with “the Elimination of Discrimination against Women”.

The Irish Commission had previously provided submissions to the UN Committee on the issue and communicated its concerns. Today, the Committee has recommended that the government amend the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 to require 50% gender parity in the quota on political party candidate selection. 

At present, political funding available to parties is dependent whether the party meets the gender quota for candidates. Payments are reduced by 50% unless at least 40% of the candidates whose candidatures were authenticated by the party at the preceding general election were women, and 40% were men.

The UN Committee recommended that the quota be bumped to 50% female candidature in order to address what the Committee described as “critically low” representation of women in Irish politics.

Last year in the general election, a record 246 women ran, according to Women for Election. Of the 174 seats, women secured 44 of them – making up 25% of the Dáil. A number of wards did not elect any women to represent it.

In this government, there are three female Cabinet ministers among the 15. Just six women hold positions as Ministers of State out of the 23 available.

The Committee advised that its application on gender parity be extended to the Seanad, the nomination of Cabinet ministers, and local governance bodies. 

The Committee further recommended that the State take other measures to increase women’s participation in political life – such as combatting online abuse and threats of gender-based violence targeting women in political and public life.

The Committee has “deep concerns” about access to justice for women, particularly survivors of institutional abuse and those from structurally vulnerable groups, the Irish Commission reported, highlighting barriers to redress for survivors of abuse in Mother and Baby homes, the Magdalene Laundries, and other residential institutions. 

The Irish State must respond within two years about the progress achieved in these areas. The Commission will continue to exercise its monitoring role to hold the State to account.