INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY | 8th MARCH

A question of equality for brothers as well as sisters

BY MARY LOU McDONALD

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY is an important date on the political calendar. It’s the day on which women’s contribution to public life is recognised. It’s also the day on which the great and the good lament the lack of women elected to public office.

On 8 March every year, the system scratches its head and wonders why there aren’t more women in the Dáil, the Assembly or in councils across the country. Unfortunately, the attention span of the political system can be very short, so by 9 March the issue falls way down the Establishment’s agenda.

So why aren’t more women elected to public office? Is it that women aren’t political? Are they disinterested in the life of their communities? I don’t think so.

‘Five Cs’  — cash, confidence, childcare,  culture and candidate selection —  are routinely listed as barriers to women’s participation in politics. In fairness, they probably offer as full an explanation of the  absence of women in our democratic institutions  as is possible. But they don’t capture or reflect the inertia that has dogged the issue of gender balance in political life.

This is an equality issue. Unlike other groups that demand their rights, women are not a minority group (we’re actually in the majority — if only just). Women contribute fully to society and the economy and yet we are as rare as hen’s teeth in the world of politics.

We’ve had the research, the debates  and all the  good intentions. Now we need action.

The introduction of gender quotas is envisaged in time for the next Dáil elections. The law will oblige political parties to field at least 30% women candidates or face losing half of their state funding. This has been criticised by some people, some women included. They question whether quotas are democratic. They worry that women selected or elected under this system would be undermined — the ‘token woman’ scenario.

In an ideal world, we would not be talking about quotas. In an ideal world, the ‘five Cs’ would not exist. In an ideal world, women would be fully represented across society, including in our political system. We are far from that ideal. Quotas are a necessary part of challenging and changing women’s position in Irish political life.

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is ‘Connecting Girls - Inspiring Futures’. Young women and girls need political role models: they need to know that they have a place in public life. We need to lead by example. That’s the challenge, sisters. That’s the challenge, brothers.