Enormous gender imbalance still exists in political life
Issued : Friday 12 March, 2010
Statement by Nessa Childers MEP
Speaking at European Parliament forum - 'Do we need quotas to ensure women are fairly represented?'
Do we need a quota system to ensure that women are fairly represented in electoral politics? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.
Ten to fifteen years ago, I would have been optimistic that Irish society and Irish politics was on course to reach a much fairer and equitable balance of gender representation than that which currently exists.
We saw two women Presidents in that period. We saw two women Tanaisti. Yet despite these achievements, an enormous gender balance still exists in our national Parliament and on local authorities.
It is no exaggeration to say that progress for women in electoral politics in Ireland has been painfully slow. Without legal quota systems, progress will continue to be lethargic at best.
There are very real barriers on the road to the full participation by women in the electoral process. I don't intend to go in to all of them here this morning, but I will if I may draw attention to one of the most important.
The culture of how we conduct the business of representative politics in this country often militates against women at a very deep level. Getting selected to run is an art form in itself and a dog-eat-dog business. Actual elections themselves are financially onerous, bruising encounters where 100% focus and discipline is required to win a seat and hold on to it.
Such are the demands that there is little time for anything else other than politics.
And one often gets the feeling that the system we operate in is one designed by men, largely for men where the odds are almost always stacked against you as a woman.
Make no mistake about it; Irish politics is still largely the preserve of men and. Anyone who disputes this only has to look at the figures. Without enforceable quota systems, we will continue to be a long way from a system which genuinely delivers fair representation for women.
Only 13% of TDs are women, compared to 18% globally. Only 16% of County and City Councillors are women. There is an indisputable and unacceptable gender imbalance in terms of political representation in Ireland.
In the early 1990's Ireland and Belgium were pretty much level, but today Ireland has slipped out to being within the top 90, whereas Belgium is in the top 14 of countries in terms of women's political representation. Belgium has a quota system, Ireland does not. Ireland has stagnated.
Meaningful and decisive actions are demanded if this situation is to be prevented from continuing.
We have heard the arguments against gender quota systems before - how they go against the very principle of equality of opportunity; how the people should be allowed decide who they want to represent them and how more 'qualified' candidates are sacrificed on the altar of equal opportunities in favour of meeting the requirements of imposed gender quotas.
Well, what about these arguments? Quotas for women do not discriminate but serve to reset the balance and help to compensate for the very real and practical barriers women who wish to enter public life have to face all too often. What about the view that women's experiences and qualities are needed in public life.
I don't think it's a coincidence that average EU gender pay gap comes in at around 18% in favour of men. It stands at 17% in Ireland. I would contend that women across the EU would hold more than the 20% of top management positions they currently enjoy if there were more women in positions of political power and influence.
If we are to properly tackle gender inequality, we need more women at the decision making table, mapping our social, economic and cultural future.
The voluntary codes promoted by some Parties aren't redressing the balance. As if we haven't learned through harsh experience, voluntary codes and the light-touch approach just don't work in Ireland.
My own Party openly recognises that to improve women's political representation it is necessary to legislate for it just like Belgium has done.
To varying degrees, Portugal, Slovenia, France and Spain have also acted progressively by bringing in new laws to ensure fairer representation.
We have nothing to be scared of. Over 100 countries in the world have done it.
Last year, Labour's Electoral (Gender Equality) Bill 2009 proposed an innovative, reasonable and incremental way of taking on the status quo.
Our proposed new law said that all political parties would be obliged to put a certain percentage of women forward as candidates or else they lose some of their state funding. We would start from a position where 20% of candidates would be women, followed by 30% after seven years, after another seven years 40%, and then after 21 years the measure would cease to exist. We believed that to rebalance the representation to this degree would essentially take the guts of a generation.
The outcome would still be in the hands of the electorate, but with more women candidates the electorate would have more choice and women would have more opportunities.
Unfortunately this exciting and progressive measure was roundly defeated but we are committed to introducing such legislation when in government. Irish women and Irish society have waited far too long. As in other disciplines in the Irish public sphere, it is high time the voluntary framework approach was replaced by fully enforceable laws to deliver what is only fair, reasonable and just.
