The Labour Party has opened a campaign encouraging women to vote in the upcoming election and to examine public issues which directly affect them.
Kirsi Hanifin, Labour Party Women and Equality Officer said today it was important for women to examine the party policies which have a direct impact on women's lives, such as childcare, adult education and public transport costs.
"Women have to be aware of the impact mainstream policies have on their lives," said Ms Hanifin.
"We are proposing a €1 bus fare for adults in Dublin and a 50 cent fare for children," Ms Hanifin said, stating that only 50 per cent of Irish women have a driving licence and fewer still have the regular use of a vehicle, meaning that low cost public transport is a major issue for many women.
Other areas of concern for Labour include breast cancer screening for women and easy access to women-friendly life-long learning, particularly for those in disadvantaged areas.
In a statement, Chair of Labour Women, Sinead Ni Chulachain, said that initiatives to address the issue of violence against women must also be highlighted during the election campaign.
"Women's political participation as voters can have a huge impact on what kind of policies political parties produce and what action is taken. If women don't highlight issues or approaches that are important to them, the danger is that the political parties don't highlight them either."
"The Labour Party and Labour Women have been campaigning strongly on violence against women," said Ms Ní Chulachain.
"One in five women continue to experience domestic violence, yet frontline services are under-funded and emergency accommodation often is not there or is not appropriate. At the same time the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency is under the threat of closure."
In a statement issued this morning, Labour Party spokesperson on European Affairs and Defence, Joe Costello TD said that he believed crime and fear of crime was another major issue for women voters.
Mr Costello said that a more visible force of community Gardaí would help to prevent crime at a local level, and would result in a greater feeling of security among Irish women.