Women and the Election

We are pleased to record that there will be more women in the 31st Dáil than in any previous one, and for the first time in the history of the State, men will hold less than 86% of seats. However, there is no denying that despite this slight improvement Ireland still falls far short of all international recommendations, and still trails embarrassingly behind our European counterparts.

We are calling on the new government to commit to measures, including legislation, to ensure that in all future elections we see significantly more women as candidates, and subsequently winning seats as TDs and councillors. We will insist that the Labour Party, if it forms part of the new government, honour its manifesto commitment to this.

The Shape of Election 2011

Some startling facts:

  • Only 15% of candidates nationally were women.
  • All 3 of the main political parties fielded at least one male candidate each in 36 constituencies (84% of all constituencies). All 3 fielded a female candidate in just two constituencies (5%).
  • 4 constituencies around the country had no women candidates whatsoever. That meant over 300,000 people presented with only male candidates.
  • Fianna Fáil ran no women at all in 74% of constituencies.
  • Fine Gael ran no women at all in 65% of constituences.
  • Labour, the party with the highest proportion of women candidates, still ran no women in 58% of constituencies.

Members' Meeting - 'Women and Politics'

The NWCI and Longford Women's Link hosted a Members Meeting on 17th February 2011 on the topic of "Women and Politics" in the Family Centre, Longford. It was an exciting meeting with a presentation from the Longford Women's Link, Panel discussion with women politicians, and small group discussion.

Claire McGing, IRCHSS Research Scholar at NUI Maynooth gave a presentation on the day about the situation for women in Irish politics. To download her presentation and see all the research and statistics she discussed, click here.

What can you do?

Join in the discussion by leaving a comment on our blog, or contact us at development2@nwci.ie.

 

Latest Media Coverage

Tuesday 15th March - Irish Independent

Fianna Fáil youth chief quits over sexism row

"FIANNA FAIL has become the latest party to be embroiled in a sexism row after the chair of the party's youth wing resigned her position in protest...According to Ms Lordan, women in Fianna Fail are 'good for a photo shoot and little else'...."

Click here to read the full article on the Irish Independent website.

 

Monday 14th March - Mary Minihan writing in the Irish Times

Quinn got Cabinet post at Shortall's expense, insiders claim

"JUNIOR MINISTER Róisín Shortall had been in line for a Cabinet position until Ruairí Quinn succeeded in his last-minute demand for a post, according to Labour Party sources. Ms Shortall, Labour's former spokeswoman on social protection, was passed over for senior office last Wednesday before subsequently being appointed Minister of State for Primary Care..."

Click here to read the full article on the Irish Times website.

 

The International Situation

Prior to Election 2011, Ireland was ranked 85th in the world in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's classification of women in parliaments. In 1990 we were in 37th place but we have since been overtaken by the many countries that have taken positive steps to increase women's participation in politics.

One such example is Tanzania. The national elections held in Tanzania in October 2010 resulted in a parliament in which 35% of seats are held by women. This largely due to Tanzania's quota system. In her article, Achieving Gender Parity in Political Participation in Tanzania, Anna Jubilate Mushi of TGNP reflects on whether the quota system is truly an opportunity for achieving parity. Click here to download the article.