Sir, – Breda O’Brien (Opinion & Analysis, July 2nd) once more highlights how underrepresented women are in politics and business, reminding us that we rank 60th in the world for women holding ministerial positions, a ranking just slightly altered by the recent reshuffle.
I agree with her that failing to put a financial price on the carer’s contribution can lead over time to feelings of lack of self-worth and erode confidence. The choice to be a home-maker needs to be valued and respected; choosing career and politics over being a home-maker is only possible for many women because other women are available to perform this role, allowing mothers like me the choice to work outside the home.
We need to encourage and motivate, we need more strong female role models (we have them but we need to hear their stories). We need more awareness as to how underrepresented the 51.8 per cent of women in Irish society are. Awareness, quotas, encouraging girls to be competitive at school, these are all positive first steps, but we will need more. – Yours, etc,
CLLR ANNE-MARIE
DERMODY,
Solicitor,
Butterfield Avenue,
Dublin 14