Kathleen Lynch TD speaking on International Women's Day

Issued : Friday 7 March, 2008

Senator Phil Prendergast with Kathleen Lynch TD

SPEECH BY KATHLEEN LYNCH TD

Labour Party Spokesperson on Equality
Friday 7th March 2007

IRELAND FALLS FURTHER BEHIND IN THE PROPORTION OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT

I am honoured to be here today to celebrate International Women's Day and to support this project which is making such a contribution to community life.

It is a natural link.

Women have led and nourished community development in Ireland both historically and in its modern form. Without women, there would not be the network of community supports and actions that are today's bedrock of our civil society.

Ours is a society that has changed dramatically over a short period of time. By any measure - work, play, marriage, family, religion, culture, migration - our identity has been transformed as a result of our new status as a prosperous, globalized country.

While the changes are economic and social, the effects are essentially personal. How we see ourselves and each other is different now. In many ways for the better.

In my lifetime women have moved from being in law, chattels of their Husbands, to being in law, entitled to equal rights with men. Yet more women than ever are rearing children alone. Violence against women is perceived differently yet violence against women has not lessened.

The language we use has become softer, more inclusive towards women, yet walk out in the street and the old courtesies have vanished. This is not a plea for a return to some fantasized past but it is a recognition that today's modern ethic is driven by a powerful individualism that rejects the old bonds between people and tries to turn citizens into consumers.

I say "tries" because we are fortunate that the 'greed is good' syndrome is
tempered and thwarted by the idea of community which has proved to be not just resilient, but flourishing as we see here in Knocknaheeny today

Women have shown in many ways how change can be brought about. Legislative improvements and an end to discrimination for women have come about because of a dogged determination and a mighty effort by women.

One arena which has proved itself resistant to such change is our national Parliament. The statistics in relation to Ireland's numbers of women parliamentarians is a cause for concern.

Of the 470 candidates offered to the electorate at the last General Election, 82 were women. This represents the lowest number of women candidates at a general election since 1989.

The 30th Dáil saw no change in the proportion of women representation with the electorate returning just 22 women TDs, the same number as in 2002. This gives women just 13% of the 166 seats in the Dáil.

Ireland is ranked 82nd out of 189 countries for the percentage of women in Lower or Single House Parliaments in a list compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union based on information at the 31st October 2007. This represents the lowest ranking Ireland has ever received in this classification.

In 1997 Ireland was 36th out of 177 countries and in 2003 it was 60th out of 181 countries.

Based on the same information, Ireland is ranked 23rd out of the 27 EU countries in terms of the proportion of women in the Lower Houses of Parliament. In only Slovenia, Romania, Hungary and Malta is the proportion of women in Parliament lower than in Ireland.

The participation of women in decision and policy making is crucial in order to highlight the issues that secure women's general position within society. The inclusion of women's perspectives into government policies and programmes means that issues such as childcare, equality in the workplace, the health care coverage needs of midlife and older women, social welfare, pension reform, retirement security for women, home care, long term care, housing and domestic violence can be dealt with properly.

However, despite the small percentage of women in politics in Ireland over the years, I believe the influence and contributions made by these women far outweigh their numbers.

And politics needs more women.

It needs their insight and life experience and it also needs what the struggle for women's rights represents - a philosophical outlook that is inclusive of people rather than locks them out, that favours consensus over conflict and that values community as a bulwark against aggression and greed.

Today more than at any time these are the values of International Women's Day.