Madam, - Commenting on your recent survey of women's attitudes, Gemma Hussey (October 1st) highlights the low level of women's interest in politics, which only 38 per cent deemed to be "very important" or "quite important".
Ms Hussey suggests that Ireland lags far behind Western Europe in family-friendly legislation, as a result of the shortage of women in politics. She points to Scandinavia, which has the highest figures in the world for women in parliament and government, and the best provisions for men and women with children.
However, your survey also showed that the items which Irish women rated as most important were personal skin/haircare (93 per cent), financial independence (91 per cent), leisure time (90 per cent) and female friends (90 per cent). All these ranked much more highly than husband/boy friend (75 per cent), Taking care of children (69 per cent) or having children in the future (42 per cent).
Is this indicative of family considerations being the major
burden on women? I have no idea how Scandinavian women would
respond to a similar survey, but perhaps some of the causes of
relative political apathy among Irish women can be found in Grafton
Street or the malls of Dundrum Shopping Centre. - Yours, etc,
PETER MOLLOY,
Haddington Park,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.