LW Seminar 'Empowering Women in the Local Community to Europe' in Tipperary Town
20 September 2011
Labour Women Seminar 'Empowering Women from the Local Community to Europe' in Tipperary Town on a September Saturday was one of the Labour Women regional meetings, held in Tipperary Town for the first time.
Some of the Labour Party women at the LW Seminar in Tipperary Town
Karen Lyons of the Tipperary Labour Branch welcomed the women - and a man - to the seminar, and set the tone with her opening words.
'Within each of us is the power the change the world, Eleanor Roosevelt said. We often forget that. We accept our own limited stereotypes . Women will remain in the margins if we do not have the confidence and network , mentor each other, be motivated and get involved. It is all within us, we just have to empower ourselves.'
Sara Bourke of the Knockanrawley Resource Centre gave an excellent talk on women's empowerment in the community. 'It's not that women don't have power, it is just how to channel it.' Sara spoke about the pressures of unemployment, be it the local 600 women on the local live register or family members being unemployed. Let's not forget also that women adult dependents are not visible. Women in Tipperary Town have been attending the County Council meetings, completed leadership courses and above all have completed Community Education courses which are a route to a more empowered future.
Katherine Dunne, Labour Women Chair, spoke about the importance of women being in the decision-making. 'Women are not there where decisions about how we spend our money, how decisions are made and what issues we prioritise. We know the barriers women face, and solutions have been proposed such as legislating for women candidates. But how can we make politics more attractive for women? As women are a minority in politics they may feel isolated or intimidated.' Katherine also noted that while we are always delighted to see young women enter politics, many women only have the time to get involved at a later stage in life.
Phil Prendergast MEP is a woman who hangs the washing as she talks to the local radio producer, and has been juggling her family, job and politics for 20 years. She became a MEP earlier this year. 'We often forget how women were discriminated before Ireland joined Europe. No equal pay, the marriage bar, only the third of the women in the work force, lone parents forgotten. There have been 13 pieces of European legislation affecting women positively. All for the better. Europe directly affects women in Tipperary with the European legislation which comes from the European commitment to gender equality.'
The lively discussion was an inspiring way to round up the day. There are some excellent women in Tipperary.
