Category Archives: Legal opinions

Public Meeting on Gender Quotas on 22 November

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There will be a Public Meeting – organised by The 50/50 Group – on Gender Quotas at 6.30 – 8.30pm in EU House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

Entrance is free.

The 50:50 Group invites you to A Public Meeting on Gender Quotas

This meeting will look at

  • how the introduction of gender quotas might impact the political landscape in Ireland
  • what changes (if any) political parties will have to make
  • whether there will be any real impact on female representation in Irish politics & wider public life

Chair:     Gemma Hussey,  Former Minister & TD

Speakers will include:

Kathleen Lynch, TD, Minister of State, for Disability, Older People, Equality & Mental Health

Fiona Buckley: Lecturer, Department of Government, UCC & co-founder of The 50/50 Group

Claire McGing: IRCHSS Phd Candidate, NUI Maynooth

Carol Hunt: Journalist

Dr. Eoin Daly, Lecturer, School of Law & Government, DCU

All are welcome to come & contribute to the discussion

 

Are gender quotas against the Irish Constitution? – Dr Eoin Daly writes

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On 4 June 2011, Dr Eoin Daly published a valuable analysis “Gender Quotas and Freedom of Association”

” … the Government intends to introduce legislation requiring political parties to field a minimum quota of 30% of female candidates for elections.

This requirement will be enforced through an unusual administrative sanction. Parties failing to meet this target would, it is proposed, lose a portion of the public funding available under the Electoral Acts. The “quota” will rise to 40% after the next general election.

It is not my intention, in this post, to consider the various policy arguments surrounding the necessity or efficacy of the proposed measure.

Instead, I simply intend to consider whether, if implemented, it would likely encounter any constitutional difficulty, and the chances of success of any political party or prospective individual candidates who might challenge the constitutional validity of the relevant legislation …”

You can read the full text of Dr Eoin Daly’s detailed analysis here...

Latest News:  Dr Eoin Daly is speaking at our Public Meeting on 22 November.