Archive for 2011
Fiona Buckley - Gender Quotas
Posted on October 25, 2011
This article first appeared in Public Affairs Ireland July/August.
Gender Quotas - Public Affairs Institute, June 2011
Women in Politics - Fiona Buckley
Posted on May 05, 2011
On 25 February 2011, 25 women were elected to Dáil Éireann. This figure represents a numerical and percentage (15 per cent) high in terms of women's political representation in Ireland. However, when compared internationally, the new 'record' is meager. Ireland currently lies in 74th position in a world classification table of women's representation in parliament compiled by the inter-parliamentary union (IPU). Of the 27 EU member states, Ireland is ranked in 20th position. Only 86 of a total of 566 candidates were women at the recent election. However, the average success rate for both men and women candidates was the same at 29 per cent indicating that there is no bias against female candidates amongst the Irish electorate. So if men and women candidates have as good a chance as one another of getting elected, why are women so slow to put themselves forward for election? The answer lies in what is often termed the '4 Cs' of care (childcare or otherwise), culture, cash and confidence. A fifth 'C' - candidate selection - is also used to explain the low numbers of women contesting election on behalf of political parties. Together, these are the main barriers facing women when entering politics.
Let's talk about Sarah
Posted on April 20, 2011
Who is Sarah? Just your typical, overworked but extremely dedicated public representative, apparently. An average TD who toils from morning to night in the name of such good causes as human rights in Asia, tackling climate change, and... swimming pools.
To explain: Sarah is the star of "A Day in the Life of a TD", the comic strip-style brochure published by the Houses of the Oireachtas which is given out to visitors to Leinster House. 
We follow her throughout what is apparently a day like any other, in which she cycles to work (the Dáil) in the morning and then spends the packed day dealing with all manner of local and global issues.
How women fared in the 2011 general election
Posted on March 01, 2011
Guest post by Claire McGing. Claire is an Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) scholar in the Department of Geography, NUI Maynooth. Her main research interests are in gender politics and political/electoral reform.
The 2011 general election yielded a record number of women TDs, albeit seeing a very modest increase. 23 TDs out of 166 (13.8%) that sat in the 30th Dáil were women, the highest number in the history of the state. This placed Ireland in a global position of 84th in terms of female parliamentary representation. 25 women have been elected for the 31st Dáil, meaning that the next parliament will be 15.1% female. This will marginally push us up the world rankings to 79th place (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2011).
Women in the 31st Dail
Posted on February 28, 2011
We knew going into this election that Ireland's embarrassing record on women in politics was unlikely to improve significantly. Just 15% of candidates who ran for election were women.
So, now that the results are (almost all) in: how does the 31st Dáil compare in terms of women's participation?
I am pleased to see we are headed towards a slight improvement. With counts complete in all but one constituency there are 25 women elected, and it is possibly that we will see one more added to this number by the time all the final result is declared.
Ireland's record on women in politics
Posted on February 21, 2011
Guest post by Senator Ivana Bacik, Labour Candidate for Dun Laoghaire.
Ireland has an appalling record on women's representation in politics.
Three women step in to prevent all-male ballot in Clare
Posted on February 18, 2011
Guest post by Elaine D'Alton, Clare Women's Network
Meeting to discuss the possibilities and opportunities for political change and reform in Clare a group of intelligent, passionate and enlightened women could not ignore the lack of female candidates on the ballot. This, while not unusual was none the less disappointing.
As discussion rounded on this issue it was felt that inaction was no longer a solution. A candidate stepped forward to change one small thing, joined shortly by two others, and an opportunity was born.
Life after Election 2011: Action on Women in Politics
Posted on February 11, 2011
Guest post by Gemma Hussey
It's hard not to feel weary in the face of the statistics for this election. It certainly seems as if there will be no improvement, and most probably a disimprovement, in the number of women in Dail Eireann after 25th February.
Let us lift our eyes, however, to life after Election 2011. It is my firm belief that a single-issue highly-focussed organisation is needed to work on bringing about the change we all want. There is need for a Women's Political Association Mark II which will do the following:
Election 2011: Where are all the Women Candidates?
Posted on February 08, 2011
Women make up 50% of the Irish population, yet just 14% of our TDs are women. Remarkably, the situation is getting worse, not better. In 1990, on the crest of the wave promised by Mary Robinson's election as the first woman President, Ireland ranked 37th in a world classification of women in national parliaments. Today our position has plunged to 84th.
Why is this? At a recent seminar in Leinster House on "The Dáil of Tomorrow", senator and general election candidate for Dún Laoghaire Ivana Bacik provided the simple explanation: "Because we have never done anything to change it."
I wonder what Chloe from Leeds would do?
Posted on January 10, 2011
I just thought that before I started I'd tell you about Chloe. She's the same age as many of you and, like you, she has definite political views. Yesterday she waded in to the Cementgate controversy, defending Joe McNamara after he drove his 15-tonne cement mixer into the gates of the Dail. Chloe said her heart went out to the Anglo Avenger - "Poor Joe is the only person to appear in court so far over a disaster that's bankrupted a generation of Irish people. Others crashed the entire economy, he just parked a lorry."
Chloe was making a valid point. And considering the 23-year-old is from Leeds, you've got to hand it to her for keeping on top of Ireland's economic trials and tribulations.
I'm sure you're already getting a mental picture of Chloe because she's the same age as some of you.
By and large she wants the same things - independence, to earn a decent living, to be happy and fulfilled.
Where she might differ from some of you is that she works in the media. Glamorous isn't it?
I'm just going to put Chloe's picture up so you can put a face to a name.
And I'm going to leave it there to see if it's possible that anything I'm about to say retains any credibility whatsoever