Gender quotas must be introduced in local government in order to achieve equality
Source: Irish Examiner
The recent local elections are a real-time example of why we need gender quotas.
Despite a record number of women running for office, only 26% of newly elected councillors are women, the same percentage as the outgoing cohort.
Women make up more than half of the population, but they are just a quarter of our elected leaders in local government.
And not only has progress stalled, in many areas, it’s going backwards. There are 13 councils with less than a fifth of female representatives.
In Donegal, only 8% of local politicians are women, with Mayo, Longford and Carlow only barely getting above 10%.
Areas that had previously come close to gender parity, such as Dublin City Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown have dropped to 40% and 33% respectively, showing a decline in the progression of gender balance at local government level.
Our democracy is strongest when diversity and equality are embedded in our political representation.
Women have had to overcome significant historical disadvantages in securing representation and great success has been achieved. But in 2024, women continue to be grossly under-represented in local politics, especially women from minority and marginalised backgrounds.
Read here the full article published by the Irish Examiner on 23 June 2024.
Image by Irish Examiner
The recent local elections are a real-time example of why we need gender quotas.
Despite a record number of women running for office, only 26% of newly elected councillors are women, the same percentage as the outgoing cohort.
Women make up more than half of the population, but they are just a quarter of our elected leaders in local government.
And not only has progress stalled, in many areas, it’s going backwards. There are 13 councils with less than a fifth of female representatives.
In Donegal, only 8% of local politicians are women, with Mayo, Longford and Carlow only barely getting above 10%.
Areas that had previously come close to gender parity, such as Dublin City Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown have dropped to 40% and 33% respectively, showing a decline in the progression of gender balance at local government level.
Our democracy is strongest when diversity and equality are embedded in our political representation.
Women have had to overcome significant historical disadvantages in securing representation and great success has been achieved. But in 2024, women continue to be grossly under-represented in local politics, especially women from minority and marginalised backgrounds.
Read here the full article published by the Irish Examiner on 23 June 2024.
Image by Irish Examiner
