Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald said on Saturday women at all levels of politics are "dispirited" and "disillusioned" as she sharply criticised the pace of efforts to get women into positions of power.

Ms Fitzgerald, the most senior woman in Government, made the remarks during an address to the Young Fine Gael National Conference on Saturday at which Taoiseach Enda Kenny and a number of Ministers were present.

“Getting that critical mass of women into positions of power and decision-making has been disappointingly slow,” she said. “I notice that at all levels of politics more women than men seem to get dispirited and ultimately disillusioned with the whole process.”

Ms Fitzgerald said her own entry to politics came about from her work as a campaigner on women’s issues.

“I remember sitting at the back of one of the first Women’s Council meetings I attended and began to understand the scale of the issues facing women in Ireland back then,” she said.

“When I got to Leinster House it was full of men. The fact that it still is disappoints and frustrates me. However, it is inspiring to see so many young women here today and hope that many of you aspire to leadership positions and ultimately reach that goal.”

The Tánaiste also said the misogynistic rhetoric and commentary during the recent US presidential election campaign was “deeply troubling”.

The eventual winner of the contest, businessman Donald Trump, referred to different women as "pig", "dog", "slob" and "disgusting animal" during the course of the campaign.

Mr Trump has also been accused of sexual assault by several women.

“What is less inspiring and, in fact, deeply troubling is the sexism, misogyny and revival of patriarchal attitudes that we saw in the recent US election campaign - attitudes that we thought we had dealt with, but are resurgent today,” the Tánaiste said.

“Feminism, the practical feminism of advancing women’s opportunities, must be reclaimed by young women who want to push back against the backlash which made feminism a dirty word for too long.

“Feminism is more relevant than ever to women, to men, and to the sustainable future of our whole society. Indeed feminism is becoming dangerously fashionable.

"When Amy Schumer says that 'anyone who is not a feminist is an insane person', you know that feminism is becoming hot. What better time, therefore, to redouble our efforts towards a better future for women and girls?"