Halligan gaffe shows sexist mindsets are still a hurdle for women to clear at work
HONESTLY, if you didn’t laugh, you might just cry. Nowadays Irish politics could challenge ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ for slapstick value.
This week John Halligan, Junior Minister at the Department of Training and Skills, got it in the neck from the sisterhood when it was revealed that he asked a civil servant if she was married and had children during an interview to be his private secretary. Farcically, the State was then expected to pick up the tab of €7,500 to pay for the offending discriminatory remark.
His comments are not the problem. The thought process behind his questions is actually the more substantive issue. It reveals a mindset that we had convinced ourselves had vanished – although most of us have long suspected that it hasn’t. Women are often treated differently to men when in employment situations. It is that simple. This is a serving minister charged with implementing laws to guard against exactly this type of discrimination.
Adding insult to injury, Mr Halligan actually works in the very Government department which is responsible for employment law to protect all Irish workers. Resisting the urge to throw things at the radio, his comments left many of us lamenting the possibility that inequality in the workplace is destined to continue forever.
Debate inside Leinster House was somewhat divided on the topic. The usual suspects threw their eyes up to heaven bemoaning the return of the politically correct brigade gone mad again. Mostly his defenders came courtesy of the same dinosaurs who brought us epic one-liners like “here comes Miss Piggy”, “she is a pig with lipstick”, and “she’s good at her job and not bad to look at”.
But there is something deeper to this particular incident. It is juxtaposed against the backdrop of all of the other incidents and discussions about sexual discrimination in Hollywood and in the arts community here in Ireland. Collectively, they combine to illustrate how women’s professional advancement can prove fundamentally more challenging than men’s. Moreover, it provides an insight into the real thoughts of a current senior serving public representative.
In an effort to calm his latest calamitous storm, Mr Halligan eventually expressed “remorse” and said it was a “genuine mistake” and he never meant to “cause offence”. Statements that further suggest he still does not understand it is not offensive to ask someone if they are married or have children, but it is blatantly discriminatory in a job interview setting.
Compounding the problem, he then said he was only endeavouring to put the candidate at ease.
Politically speaking, it was another bad blow for the Independent Alliance which, although it appears increasingly comfortable on the carpets of Government, doesn’t quite know what to do with the power it has been given.
These latest revelations came hot on the heels of a ridiculously embarrassing episode that saw Mr Halligan propose a nonsensical international peace mission to North Korea. That particular mindless brainwave involved a cockamamie proposal for three Independent Alliance ministers to set forth toward Pyongyang on a road trip which threatened to be a ‘Yes Minister’ meets ‘Dad’s Army’ mash-up.
Their well-meaning, albeit naive, proposal was to intervene in the most dangerous crisis facing the world today through that internationally renowned instrument for peace – the music of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí.
Ahem, excuse me?
Not since brand masters Coca-Cola endeavoured to ‘teach the world to sing’ has so much depended on song and dance to deliver global perfect harmony.
Now I am all for a good auld sing-song, but I doubt very much that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to be swayed by a rousing rendition of ‘Trasna na dTonnta’, no matter how dulcet our tones.
As absurd as it was, at least the hare-brained idea provided us with a bit of much-needed mirth. Once the officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs had picked themselves back up off the floor, they quickly put an end to the threesome’s globetrotting ambitions.
On Thursday night, the erstwhile ‘spiritual leader’ of the Independent Alliance, Transport Minister Shane Ross, finally called off the mooted peace mission and we all slept soundly in our beds again. In keeping with its strategic decision to never ever sing from the same hymn sheet – Mr Halligan then declared that he had not totally given up on the idea of visiting North Korea just yet. The dream lives on. Get the fiddle out, lads.
If Mr Halligan on his own is able to upset a civil servant within his own department, can you imagine the damage he could do if he went global? How on Earth might he offend ‘rocket man’ Kim Jong-un (inset)? The Independent Alliance’s international diplomatic outreach programme was grounded before it ever started. We should be thankful for small mercies I suppose – at this rate they could have easily triggered nuclear Armageddon while on an accidental political field trip.
Alas, this week’s disclosures about Mr Halligan’s comments to the female civil servant hold no such hilarity. Instead, they reveal that while our laws may appear more sympathetic to gender inequality, much of it is shaky window-dressing propped up with meaningless lip service.
Much derision and criticism has been heaped on Mr Halligan because he didn’t realise that this was inappropriate. He knew he was being inappropriate, suggesting he didn’t is as ridiculous as suggesting that an electrician would not know how to change a light bulb. The fact he knew it was the wrong thing to ask, and did it anyway, only smacks of hubris and entitlement.
The job of private secretary to any Government minister is uniquely demanding and challenging – Mr
Halligan himself ironically demonstrated exactly why the role is so difficult. I can absolutely understand why a minister would have concern about availability and lifestyle of any candidate. However, once someone places themself in front of you for an interview, you must assume that they have factored those realities into the equation. It is acceptable to explain the demands of a role in an interview context to a prospective employee. However, it is unfair and unlawful to arrive at your decision based on their life choices or personal circumstances.
In essence, this debacle raises the distinct possibility that a serving Government minister thought that if someone was married and had children they were less likely to be effective at their job.
Media pressure and public outrage forced an earnest apology on RTÉ’s ‘Today with Sean O’Rourke’ show, on which Mr Halligan now seems to have a weekly slot which enables him to explain his latest travails to a bewildered nation.
One gets the distinct impression that Mr Halligan’s Pauline conversion in relation to interviewing techniques may be more about political expediency and less about political correctness or real gender equality in the political workplace. Mr Halligan will not resign because he doesn’t have to resign.
We will ring our hands and pontificate about his misdeeds, the fact is the system will suck it up and move on. But the cat is out of the bag. Lastbusto Pyongyang anyone?
His comments left many lamenting the possibility that inequality in the workplace is to continue forever