Why the imbalance with women in politics

Dear Sir,

An investigation of the imbalance of women represented in Irish politics.

The democracy elucidated in the political system in Ireland has continuously baffled me.

From 1918 to today’s 33rd Dail, female representation only consists to be 36 out of 160 members of the executive council. This accounts for less than a quarter of the overall TDs.

As a young female hoping to commence a career in-to politics after university, I found this matter of statistics to be obscure as it is unrepresentative of the Irish population while additionally breaching the second dimension of Human Rights, being an economic as well as a political issue. Thus, I was propelled immensely to investigate this problematic issue in society as I found being a democratic country, this is inequitable to what equality truly means.

Feminist empowerment had stuck to me since engaging with The National Women’s Council of Ireland at ‘FemFest 2019’. The norms of what feminism, to me prior the conference, concluded to be seeking gender equality from a political stance.

Nonetheless, the political stance manipulates the causation of equality through the social and economic structures, that are of commonalities to Irish life today. If we are exploiting the uneven ratio of man to woman, the lack of women present in politics will lead to a lack of female representation in other aspects of the Irish Society. This includes employment, via the gender pay gap. In 2018 women in Ireland earned 13.9% less than men. Thus, provoking me to question the negotiations of how our government, the male dominated group, negotiate the democratic principles of what a social class deserves. Surely for country portraying themselves as democratic, we would give fair treatment to both males and females.

My curiosities grew to make reason why the political hemisphere in Ireland held a majority of men and not a structure of fifty-fifty within gender leading roles. However, studies show that naturally women withhold a differed thought process to men. Females obtain biologically a more nurturing concept of perceptions rather than an immediate instinct to fulfil an alpha-like characteristic to be self- empowering.

Theorist, Kathleen Lynch signifies the logic behind this idea through ‘Affective equality; Love, Care and Injustice’ She states that women are 2.5 times more likely than men to take the responsibility of taking care of the dependent children. With support from CSO statistics stating over 80% of women take on the nurturing role for children as well as adults. Subsequently, W.R Connell; 1995, ‘Masculinities’ and Niall Hanlon; 2012, ‘Masculinity care and equality’ show the result that educated men leads to this idiom that dependence and weakness with the possession of Masculinity are core features for obtaining dominance.

If women display a counter factor for nurturing societal issues, would we not detect a more balanced satisfaction for all citizens in society. Furthering the services to coordinate both, a powerful role to carry a party but also having the ability to prioritize issues that need focusing on. If we ignore the need to draw more women in to our politics this leads to a substantial amount of strategic planning being erased.

But with this stigma of the lacking in confidence, there is a doubt of consequences for the future women of our society. The Markieviec Survey suggests support to see how the confidence instigates a deteriorated outcome for why women don’t seem fitted to take on a career in Irish politics.

The survey is directed by the Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation and is coordinated towards leaving cert female students. 85% of 769 girls believe there are more opportunities for themselves and women then there were 20 years ago. However, 55% of the females want jobs that would make a difference for society. Furthermore only 2% of girls from the survey would pursue a career in politics. There is a striking result to see more female figures in politics. But relatively minor results show they would become a leading role themselves.

As remarkable and credible my investigations have been to seek such vast insight in-to this minority grouping of women in politics, I felt unsure to see this as a fixated result as well as adequate for the conclusion of my studies. This led to my interview with Green party member, Catherine Martin, to then identify an alternative perception of what the gender issue is affectively like within a political vicinity.

In relation to the results of the Markieviec Survey, it is factual that there is a significant lack of confidence to pursue a career in politics and so Ms. Martin exemplifies the statement by stating a need to be more encouraging at local level to then strive for national roles. I proposed a discussion for the plan around the National Strategic Plan 2017-2021 set by the Department of Justice and Equality. However, this was only a social policy and not a permanent administration. Martin responds with the topic of Quotas. In which promotes the presence of women in politics. However, the implementations of strategic plans and a 30% quota regime, I cannot see a vast result of outcome of significant changes. There shouldn’t need to be strategies and tactics to be a fifty-fifty council as well as government. It should naturally be a fifty-fifty construct. However, figures like Catherine Martin, The NWCI and theorists such as Kathleen Lynch are challenging the political hemisphere. In which I became in favor of immediately.

From Ms. Martins development in the Women’s Caucus, we can see an embracement from the Irish state which shows the value of the growing women’s placement in politics. Furthermore, the NWCI have created conferences such as FemFest 2019 and the additional workshops to educate young females, such as myself, in-to what can be changed in society. What needs to be changed in society. While lastly how we, the female class can build confidence to make this challenge and reform the future society we live in, to be recognized as fifty-fifty equality. Although, notably Ms. Martin did annotate the concept that these issues of the effected women class in politics are not to challenge the opposition to over-power the ruling men. But to expand politics to be more civilized and democratic. Meaning, we still need to obtain a male consideration when fighting for equality.

Therefore, the female representation in politics is needed to fulfil society to be more democratic, which will cascade over other politics in society. For example, a reform in financial earnings. Additionally, the necessity to have a more balanced view within government from both males and females will inaugurate specified priorities, new perspectives as well as a fulfilment for a fair representation of what society demands.

But we must note the crucial features to maintain a male stance as well. It is important to direct the issue that being a feminist is not fighting for more power than men. But in fact, to distribute power equally. I am a feminist for equality, not for a female majority society, something that is ambiguous in the modern construct of what feminism can be seen to campaign for.

Yours, Odette Flannery, Ballymakenny College, Leaving Cert Politics and Society project