THERE are 20 women TDs in the 28th Dail three fewer than there were in the 27th. A lot of the personalities have changed, and women's visibility in the Dail will be reduced as a result.
The last Dail had seen a great advance in the level of female representation. It had also seen a huge increase in the number of women ministers. This was most dramatic in the case of the Labour Party, three of whose seven ministers and junior ministers were women.
These women ministers were particularly identified with reform. Niamh Bhreathnach had often generated controversy in her education reforms, but no one disputed their extent.
Both Eithne Fitzgerald and Joan Burton were strongly personally committed to their briefs, governmental reform for Ms Fitzgerald and third world development for Joan Burton.
The four ministers who lost their seats were all women, and three of them were the Labour ministers who had gained office in 1992, on their first day in the Dail.
Their loss greatly diminishes the image of the Labour Party as the party of female advancement both in politics and society as a whole.
For the duration of the Fianna Fail Labour coalition they had been joined by two formidable women from Fianna Fail, Maire Geoghegan Quinn and Mary O'Rourke.
Of the five women ministers in that Fianna Fail Labour coalition, Mary O'Rourke is the only one left in the Dail, since party colleague Maire Geoghegan Quinn decided to retire from politics earlier this year. This has created a considerable dent in Fianna Fail's image as a party which produces outstanding women politicians.
When that government was replaced by the Rainbow Coalition, Fine Glad's Nora Ow&n became Minister for Justice, and Avril Doyle and Democratic Left's Liz McManus became junior ministers.
Avril Doyle, once spoken of as a potential party leader, lost her seat in this election. Her depart tire will be seen as a big blow to the party's efforts to appear woman friendly.
Mary O'Rourke is certain to be back in the next government. But it is hard to see how it can have the same level of female composition as its predecessors.
The PD leader, Mary Harney, is likely to be at the Cabinet table. Despite their tiny Dail representation, the PDs mad also have a junior ministry and Liz O'Donnell, their hardworking spokeswoman on justice is a strong possibility.
However, among the eight Fianna Fail women TDs it is difficult to see an obvious female candidate for a second Cabinet seat, though its spokeswoman on arts, culture and the Gaeltacht, Sile de Valera, would be the front running woman candidate for a junior ministry.
Of the remaining six Fianna Fail women TDs, three, Marian McGennis, Mary Hanafin and Beverly Cooper Flynn are new deputies, and with Cecilia Keaveney, Mary Coughlan, Mary Wallace, Sile de Valera and Mary O'Rourke make up Fianna Fail's female contingent.
As well as Avril Doyle, Fine Gael woman TD Mary Flaherty lost her seat. They were replaced by new deputies Deirdre Clune (Peter Barry's daughter) and Olivia Mitchell and Monica Barnes regained her seat, bringing Fine Gael's total female representation to six. Monica Barnes in particular will be seen as giving a boost to the feminist wing of the party.
After losing its three most prominent women TDs, the Labour Party's female contingent is down to two, Roisin Shortall and Breda Moynihan Cronin.
The PDs lost half their female representation with the defeats of Mairin Quill and Helen Keogh. Similarly, Democratic Left lost half its women deputies with the defeat of Kathleen Lynch, who was elected to the 27th Dail in a by election.
There is one woman Independent TD, Mildred Fox of Wicklow.