Madam, - In her article to mark International Women's Day, Mary Robinson writes that "the fact that women have been absent from positions of power and decision-making. . . has contributed to a failure to prioritise action on gender-based violence" This statement could be applied to all gender-based interests.
Why, in most democracies, is the majority of the electorate - women - so under-represented. Why is the minority male population in Ireland, for example, represented by 87 per cent of the public representatives?
Many of the few women politicians whom we have elected, including two presidents, one party leader and a number of ministers, have been brilliant.
And anyway, what would be wrong with electing a not very competent woman with question marks over her integrity? We have been electing incompetent, corrupt male politicians in their dozens for years and no one has batted an eyelid. In fact, some of them have become heroes to many. - Yours, etc,
A. LEAVY,
Shielmartin Drive,
Dublin 13.
Madam, - Cllr Marie Baker (March 29th) questions if women's talents are being put to the best use when only 30 per cent of managers and fewer than 14 per cent of TDs are women. Is this thinking not similar to that of Victorian times when it was thought wasteful to educate women?
Thankfully, in Ireland a large number of women consider rearing their families to be more important than having ultra-successful careers and settle for part-time work or remain full-time in the home.
Seemingly, this is not politically correct, when we have such emphasis on "gender equality". But the sexes are complementary and how can we ever have "equality" when men cannot become pregnant?
Women are seriously misled into thinking that they can have a high-powered job and still cope with raising a family. Something has to give.
We are lucky in Ireland that it is mostly careers that come off second-best. - Yours, etc,
Mrs MARY STEWART,
Ardeskin,
Donegal Town,
Co Donegal.