LW looks forward to the major Conference on Women in Politics
18 December 2011
LW looks forward to the major Conference announced by Minister Kathleen Lynch TD. The preliminary plans to host a major conference entitled "How to Elect More Women?" on 20th January 2012 in Dublin Castle are exciting. This event will put the issue on women's representation in politics under spotlight.
This Conference happens in the context of the Electoral Amendment Political Funding Bill. This new law, when enacted, will require political parties to include at least 30 per cent of women / men as candidates at the next election. Failure to comply will affect the level of State funding to the parties.
The Equality Minister has reiterated the Government's commitment to more gender balanced decision-making, particularly in political life.
Speaking about women in politics in Ireland, Minister Lynch said that it is a challenge to us all :"In the 21st Century, a progressive country like Ireland ranks among the poorest performers at EU level, and indeed internationally, when it comes to equality in politics. All the most progressive countries in Europe make full use of the talents of both their women and their men in the world of politics. We read only this week that women in Ireland are now joint top of the class in international education comparisons. Women and men work well together in all fields of life across our country and it is time that we brought those collaborative strengths to the political arena."
The Minister has outlined the aim of the Conference : "The aim of the conference is to encourage women from an equally diverse range of backgrounds to consider a new role for themselves as political party members, as potential candidates, as contestants in elections and as representatives of both their area and their beliefs in the local and national political arenas."
Labour Women congratulates Minister Lynch for her hard work in achieving this groundbreaking situation where we now have a real opportunity to change politics in Ireland. She is not a Minister who hangs about, but gets on with it. We know we must do something if we want to improve the gender balance in politics, and now we finally have action. Labour Women also wants to note the fact that it was Ciaran Lynch TD who first published the Labour Party Bill with similar proposals back in 2009. This wide support, and indeed the cross-party support of his proposed legislation, has gained momentum to the point where we now can make true progress.
