A Chara – I was delighted to see that Una Mullally is not surprised that Fianna Fáil is failing in its attempts to fill a third of its candidate lists for this year’s local elections with women candidates. For too long, its safe-seated senior women politicians rubbished calls to introduce gender quotas.
After the 1987 general election returned no Labour woman candidate to the Dáil or Seanad, I was involved with the Labour Women’s Council in analysing our difficulties in attracting and electing women candidates. Academic research was examined; our sister socialist parties were consulted, while the leadership of the Irish Labour Party was charged with solving the problems of retaining the integrity of the PR ballot paper once we were convinced that quotas were necessary.
Soon, 25 years later, we are to witness changes in the candidate selection process which will deliver gender choice to the electorate. After much soul-searching, all parties, including FF, have committed themselves to supporting the Government’s proposals to agree to field at least 30 per cent women candidates at the next general election – or suffer the financial consequences.
Fianna Fáil has some catching up to do. Pleasant Mary O’Rourke’s protestations against the need for gender quotas are already sounding positively archaic.
Women constitute 50 per cent of the population. We dominate educational league tables. Our experience and education must be harnessed so that we can all contribute to the national efforts of resolving our present economic crisis. Together we should be able to shape a better Ireland. – Is mise le meas,
NIAMH BHREATHNACH,
Anglesea Avenue,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin
Sir, — Has Paul Williams (Letters, March 25th) considered the possibility that the reason there are fewer women than men interested in going into politics is because of larger societal factors rather than their inherent dispositions? Men who want a career in primary teaching may indeed be discriminated against by social forces which view this as “women’s work”. This is an example of how oppressive gender roles shape people’s lives, and in effect steer men from caring, nurturing roles, and women from careers involving science or leadership.
As Ms Mullally states in the piece Mr Williams criticises (March 24th), men need only be asked to run for office, while women need “confidence-building, encouragement, solidarity and support” – precisely because of the extra barriers they face. Their absence in this field is particularly damaging as women’s interests are ignored, thereby preserving a male-dominated status quo. Quotas may at least somewhat redress this imbalance in the short term, but more importantly they help change attitudes about who can and cannot lead. Mr Williams’s sneering reference to “quotaistas” suggests that he, like many anti-feminists, will not even listen to those they argue against. Yours etc,
DAVID BEATTY,
Coolamber Park,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16