Sir, – Eamonn McCann quotes Mary Wollstonecraft as the "inspiration" and "founder" of the "modern women's liberation movement" ("Long march to women's rights stretches over centuries", Opinion & Analysis, March 5th).
Mary Wollstonecraft was an Enlightenment figure who argued the application of Enlightenment ideas on the equal rights of all citizens to women as citizens.
The fact that she died in 1797 and that it took over 100 years before women were allowed to vote highlights the fact that what Eamonn McCann calls the “long march to women’s rights stretches over centuries”.
The fact that nearly 100 years after getting the vote, and women being a majority in the electorate, men still comprise nearly 90 per cent of the Oireachtas emphasises the point.
All of these facts point to the importance of the opportunity presented in the next election in which many more women will be on the ballot paper.
By increasing their numbers in the Oireachtas, the expertise, knowledge and insights of the half of the human race that are women can be given an opportunity to improve the quality of our democracy. – Yours, etc,
A LEAVY,
Sutton, Dublin 13.