Women in Politics

Labour Women campaign on an on-going basis to increase women's participation in Irish politics. Women continue to be under-represented (13% of TDs women, 18% of Cllrs women). Democracy is not working when women are not fully represented. Internationally Ireland performs poorly. Labour Women believe that women's political participation is necessary to have more balanced and better politics.

Useful links :

Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) & Women in Politics

EU Debate :Gender Equality

IDEA : Gender Quotas

IPU : Women in National Parliaments

Women in Norwegian Politics

Elections 2009 : RTE Exit poll

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Parity Democarcy Campaign

Labour Women launched their 'Parity Democracy' Campaign to increase women's political participation. Women's involvement in politics is essential in order to have more women in decision-making.

'Parity Democracy' Campaign is about increasing women's participation in politics

Read Electoral (Gender Parity) Bill 2009

Read News : Labour marks International Women's Day by introducing Electoral (Gender Parity) Bill 2009

Listen Today FM : Labour and Gender Quotas (Ciaran Lynch TD)

Check out YOUTUBE : COMMISSIONER WALLSTROM AND GENDER QUOTAS

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LW Local Election Handbook

LW Local Election Handbook - available to members

Running in an election is not a science only known to few. Most of it is common sense, combined with some tricks of the trade. However, for new candidates it can be difficult to get up and running if there is little help and practical support. In the Labour Party we give that support. We do not want any new candidate to feel that they are completely on their own. We train, advice and support our candidates best we can.

As part of our support programme LW have put together a Local Election Handbook which cover just about everything that one needs to know about how to run a campaign. We hope that it is useful. It is not a substitute for the practical, on-the-ground work that is necessary to win elections, but hopefully it will give good advice.

Available from LW.

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LW Mentoring Programme

Labour Women launched a Mentoring Programme for new women candidates. The mentors are women who have won a council seat, and they are available to help and support new women who are aiming to do the same.

Joan Burton TD launches LW Mentoring Programme

Read News

Read Press release

'Big Sister Is helping You' - LW Mentoring Programme

Local Elections 2009
Mentoring Programme

BIG SISTER IS HELPING YOU

A WORD FROM THE CHAIR

Dear Sister,

Labour Women is delighted to facilitate this exciting and innovative programme of mentoring for new women candidates in the forthcoming local elections in 2009. We believe that this is the first time in the Irish political system that a formal mentoring program has been instituted by a political party for women candidates and we are proud to sponsor it.

Women first voted in Ireland in the local elections in 1898 yet 110 years later only 16% of Irish County Councillors are women. Even in the Labour Party only 20% of the councillors elected in 2004 are women.

The Labour Party is committed to equality and representative democracy but surely it is a contradiction in terms to say that 50% of the electorate can be represented by just 16% of the Councillors.

The Labour Party has put in place a number of active measures to support women's participation in politics including gender selection quotas, a dedicated officer to support women, Labour Women - the women's section of the Labour Party and women officers in all branches and constituencies.

But we recognise that there is more to do.

Therefore, Labour Women is proud to sponsor this programme which is the latest initiative of the Labour Party to support women in politics.

We wish all our women candidates good luck in the Local Elections 2009.

Vote number 1 your Labour Women

Yours sororially,

Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin
October 2008

 

INTRODUCTION

Research into women's political participation shows that the causes of the under-representation of women are complex and require sustained attention, as women, unlike other groups struggling to achieve equality, are not a minority community but comprise approximately 50% of the population.

As political systems are traditionally male-dominated, there is a cultural resistance to change. Irish culture is informed by traditional gender stereotypes, and this is also true of the culture within political parties in this country.

It is very difficult for women to counter the persistent informal mentoring of men candidates by established male politicians. New male party members are more likely to contact their elected representatives than women members are. Issues of age (women tend to enter politics later, having raised families first) and time (women tend to have less time to spend attending political meetings) also arise. Men have networks eg through sports organisations, that are not available to women.

The Labour Party is committed to ensuring that the number of women candidates put forward by the Party reflects the proportion of women in the population at large by 2013.

In this regard, in an effort to counteract informal mentoring of male candidates, the Commission on Women's Participation in the Labour Party Report (Bacik; September, 2005) recommended, inter alia that:-

- Formal mentoring should be introduced and run by Labour Women for potential women candidates for local, national and European elections; and to provide support to those potential women candidates in encouraging them to run and backing them when they decide to run for election.

What is Mentoring?

- Mentoring is learning by association with a relevant role model

- Mentoring is being led out of your comfort zone

- The Mentoring process literally means taking someone under your wing

- Mentoring means you are not alone

- Perhaps the greatest thing a Mentor can do is encourage and convey sincere belief in the Candidate's ability to succeed

- Mentoring is a relationship where one person gives of her time and expertise in helping another person develop particular knowledge and skills

- At particular time in a person's career, mentoring can assist that person for greater achievements.

 

The Benefits of Being Mentored

- The Candidate benefits from the Mentor's experience

- The Candidate will gain insights into how the Party works

- The risk of isolation for the Candidate is reduced, there is a link within the Party

- The Candidate will become more focused on priorities

- The Candidate is given a safe environment to bounce ideas and discuss different view points

- Mentoring operates in a confidential environment

 

What do the Mentor and Candidate do?

What does the Mentor do?

- The Mentor is someone who can be : a role model, educator, advisor, confidante, guide, friend

- The Mentor is a good listener, supportive, empathetic, encouraging, compassionate, gives constructive criticism, sees short and long term goals, is honest in a constructive and encouraging way, can give a different perspective

- The Mentor should listen, encourage, convey sincere belief in Candidate's ability to succeed, give advice and ideas, give constructive feedback, introduce relevant people or give leads, discuss ideas, challenge the Candidate and try to push her, taking the candidate out of her comfort zone

- The Mentor should be herself

What does the Mentor not do?

- The Mentor does not lecture, counsel, spoonfeed, dictate, scrutinize or manipulate

- The Mentor does not try to run the candidate's campaign - the Mentor is only there to help, not to take responsibility for the campaign or do the candidate's work

- The Mentor will not provide all the answers, she merely helps

- The Mentor is a busy person and does not have to give more time than was agreed

What does the Candidate do?

- The candidate listens, accepts criticism when it is constructive, is open to ideas and advice, asks relevant questions, is willing to be challenged

- The Candidate follows the guidelines and sticks to the agreed contact time and manner

- The Candidate is clear in her head about what type of mentoring best helps her in her campaign

What does the Candidate not do?

- The Candidate does not expect the Mentor to do the candidate's work for her

- The Candidate does not engage the Mentor in conversations that are not relevant ie does not waste the Mentor's time

- The Candidate does not resent receiving constructive criticism from the Mentor

Guidelines

- There should be mutual respect between Mentor and Candidate at all times

- Confidentiality: both parties must agree to respect the confidential nature of the relation ship and consent must be obtained from the other for any disclosure

- The parties should meet face-to-face at the start of the process (with a facilitator, if desired) to agree the parameters of their individual action plan. The Mentor should contact the candidate to arrange this first meeting.

- The Mentor and Candidate should discuss what should mentoring achieve?

- What expectations have the Mentor and the Candidate have?

- The Candidate should think about how the mentoring process best would help her in her campaign, what particular issues she needs reassurance or advice on, what areas her campaign team are lacking in expertise

- Agree realistic objectives ie what the candidate expects to get from the process - what the mentor expects to contribute

- Discuss only matters that are relevant to the campaign

- The parties must agree the contact manner: do you prefer meeting face-to-face, phone contact or email contact?

- The parties must agree contact times: do you prefer office hours, outside office hours, weekdays only, limit to contact time

- The parties must agree contact frequency:

- Agree on the duration of the mentoring process: from now until the Local Elections

- LW provides a general action plan but each Mentor and Candidate can work out their own way of going about it

 

Summary action plan :

1) Name the Mentor and her candidate

2) Hold initial meeting to agree parameters. The Mentor should contact the
candidate to arrange this first meeting.

3) Agree to abide by these guidelines

4) Agree that all discussions will be confidential

5) Discuss expectations on both sides

6) Set rough times for contact, agree contact manner, contact times and frequency

7) Agree to try to be clear on focusing on action which benefits the candidate

8) Exchange contact details

9) Get elected!

Your contact in Head Office is Kirsi Hanifin
phone: 01-6784700 / 087-6258043
email: kirsi.hanifin@labour.ie

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'Putting Women into Politics'

At European level there are still few women

Did you know ?

- 87% of TDs are men

- 16% of world's parliamentarians are women

- Ireland is below global average at 13%

- Top countries in women's political representation : Rwanda 56%, Sweden 47%, South Africa 44.5%, Cuba 43.2%, Iceland 42.9%,Finland 42%, Netherlands 41%, Denmark 38%, Angola 37%, Costa Rica 37%, Spain 36%, Norway 36%, Belgium 35%

Why are there so few women in politics?

- Structural barriers : childcare, culture, cash, connections, confidence, career
- Irish 'male breadwinner' model has kept women out of public sphere
- Political parties : male dominated, not relevant enough for women active in the communities
- App. 90% of public representatives represent a political party and therefore go through a selection process - political parties have a key role to play in promoting women
- Politics 'unsuitable' for women (long hours, male environment etc)

Does it matter that we have so few women in politics?

- Women's voice is not heard : lack of a childcare structure, car-dependent society (many women do not drive or have access to a car), vested interests, laws made by men, constituencies largely represented by men, women don't whisper in Ministers' ears or attend horse races
- We have Punchestown but we have no affordable childcare
- Critical mass of 30-40% needed for women to make an impact
- More women = more balanced policies, changed political working environment, better society, equal opportunities

What can we do to have more women in politics?

- Recruitment, training, mentoring - good but not effective enough alone
- Legislate for outcome : can be necessary to get results but does tamper with democratic process - not an option in Ireland
- Quotas : constitutional, legislative or voluntary
- Quotas already in place as geographical quotas
- Incumbents also a barrier for new male candidates
- Positive action measures have been used in some form or another in all countries which have increased women's participation in politics

Arguments against quotas

- 'Best person' should be elected regardless of gender - if 'best people' are elected then why do we have corrupt politicians, drink-driving TDs, public money wasted, disjointed policies, incompetence...
- Women want to be elected for merit - quotas do not stop women from elected for merit, not all politicians elected for merit anyhow (e.g. family connections, family name, business connections)
- Quotas are undemocratic - but democratically agreed system IS democratic
- Quotas produce token women - in that case there are many token women in the world

Case for legislating for quotas?

- In the next general election parties will have between 10 - 20%women candidates, in other words 80-90% of candidates will be male. This means that the number of women TDs will remain low.
- Women have waited long enough
- UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing 1995 state that more women must take part in politics
- Only positive action will mean results, waiting will not change things
- System must be changed to fit the women, women should not change to fit the system - Why are people afraid of quotas?

Labour Women want to see more women in politics.

- We are campaigning to increase the number of women candidates available for the electorate to support - We work internally with the Labour Party to promote women in the Party
- We support women who seek to be election candidates
- We campaign for women's agenda both in the Labour Party and in the community
- We support organisations such as NWCI who are campaigning for more women in politics

Labour Women campaign for women in politics

Read Proinsias de Rossa and European Parliament

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Labour Women : International Women's Day

2010 : Haiti appeal - LW and Joan Burton TD present a donation collected from the members of the Labour Party for a UNIFEM project to build shelters for women and girls fleeing violence in Haiti

2009 : Labour marks IWD by introducing Electoral (Gender Parity) Bill 2009

2008 : Labour Women launch 'Irish Politics - Jobs for the girls' postcard

2007 : Labour Women highlight VAW 'Refuges & Support Services - What's the full picture?'. LW Talk & Dail Lunch.

2006 : Labour Women mark IWD by making a donation towards Blanchardstown Refuge Projet.