Category Archives: Successful women

The 5050 group at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis this weekend

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The 5050 group is at the Fianna Fail Ard Dheis this weekend. We have been getting some very positive feedback and support. We are also getting the anti arguments which I’d like to deal with if I may.

Quotas are undemocratic – What about the geographical quotas that already exist. Is anyone suggesting that TDs should all be from Dublin – it would save on the mileage expenses!

Quotas work against merit – as Leo Varadker commented on Marian Finucane radio programme a couple of Sundays ago – if getting elected was based solely on merit there wouldn’t be only 15% women in the Dail.

Quotas are an easy way out – The whole point is that women don’t face a level playing field when it comes to participating in politics. Candidate selection quotas are a means of helping women overcome the extra barriers that men don’t face.

There are more important issues – That is a value judgement. I think its a fundamentally important issue. Our Dail needs to be reflective of Irish society and the most glaring gap is based around gender.

There are no barriers for women – This criticism often comes from young women. The evidence is there in the literature – Caring, culture, confidence, cash and candidate selection. Caring is very much seen as a female role and very good we are at it too. Ask Olwyn Enright and Mildred Fox who both left politics citing childcare as the reason. However if equality means anything then we need to be at the decision making table.

Women aren’t suited to Politics – ultimately that is saying that women aren’t equal to men when it comes to decision making.

Women don’t want to be involved in politics – Perhaps that view is reflective of the onerous job that politics has become. Very anti – family. This is a chicken and egg situation. Women can’t do politics because of their caring role and that caring role won’t change unless women do politics – so which comes first?

Thanks to all those who do support a more gender balanced Dail.

Women and Politics – Cork Branch Meeting – Guest post by Fiona Collins

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 Dr. Margaret O’Keeffe of the Cork Branch of the 50:50 Group highlighted a point at last Monday’s meeting that surprised me. There were 12 Constituencies out of the total of 43  in the last general election that did not have any women on the Ballot Paper. This is a surprising statistic.

 Ciaran Lynch TD is adamant that the Equality Bill is not a gender issue but is a societal one. It is, he says, something that reflects Irish Society as a whole. It does reflect Irish Society but in a very poor light. How come many parties felt that they did not have a female candidate strong enough to represent them on the ballot paper? 

Deputy Billy Kelleher suggested that the traditional party selection process was based on being part of “the club”, that women were not part of and this prohibits women from being selected. 

Deputy Jerry Buttimer suggested three possible barriers to having women in government:

  1. Self Selection Stage – women tend not to put themselves forward.
  2. Party Selection – gatekeepers in the party that choose the candidates
  3. Voting Stage – ensuring that voters do not discriminate

 All parties present on the night welcomed the Equality Bill and rightly so. Quotas work and this has been proven in the many countries that have them. We need them to work in Ireland as well. There are less women currently sitting in the present government than there was in the last one.

 The Equality Bill is needed to get women through the party selection process and onto the ballot paper. It is not about reserved seats or allocated seats. It is purely about giving voters a fair and equitable ballot paper that reflects the society and community that they live in.

 It is about getting parties to follow through on their great aspirations of having more women on the ballot paper. Hopefully this will lead to seats in the Dail for women if the voters see fit.

 Fiona Buckley, UCC, pointed out at the meeting that there are over 2000 groups in Ireland, which are being led by women. It is now time for these women to move from the politics of “the small ‘p’ to Politics of ‘ the big ‘P’. 

I believe the Equality Bill will help to achieve this.