The forthcoming election will again demonstrate the failure of successive governments and political parties to address gender inequality effectively, writes Joanna McMinn
What would it mean here in Ireland to have more women participating in decision-making in the public arena? If half, or a sizeable proportion like 40 per cent, of our politicians, as well as of our senior civil servants, were women, what effect would this have on areas of public policy areas?
Would it make a difference in women's lives?
Women's equal political representation would bring about changes that would be of far-reaching benefit to everyone, yet it has proved almost impossible to make progress, and the forthcoming election will yet again demonstrate the failure of successive (male-dominated) governments and political parties to address gender inequality effectively.
Women are still discriminated against in all sectors of Irish society, at every stage of the life cycle, from education to retirement. Although girls are outperforming boys academically, it is difficult for them to convert their academic achievements into an asset valued on the labour market. Gender discrimination is still deeply embedded; for example, out of 30,000 apprentices currently, only 131 are female. Women are paid less for work of equal value, and are the victims of poverty and unemployment more often than men. Inequalities continue to be exacerbated in retirement because women have lower pensions as a result of unemployment, work time and parental leave.
Women are still marginalised in public and political life. Fewer than 6 per cent of civil servants at secretary general level are female, while women constitute 81 per cent of clerical grade staff. In the health service, women constitute 80 per cent of staff, but just 30 per cent of consultants. Only 13 per cent of TDs and 19 per cent of local councillors are women; and at the current rate of change, it will take 370 years for women to gain equal representation in the political arena, unless government and political parties take this issue seriously.
Women's participation in decision-making is a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the equal rights of men and women as fundamental human rights, and seeks to secure their effective recognition and observance by the people and governments of member states.
The UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) states that it is the role and responsibility of governments to use all appropriate measures to ensure women's equal participation in political and public decision-making.
The traditional liberal notion of equal opportunity has evolved to a demand for equal results, and so states now have an obligation to go beyond providing equal opportunities between women and men, and are obliged to ensure an equal representation of women and men in decision-making. The Council of Europe has set a "parity threshold" of at least 40 per cent of each sex in the composition of elected assemblies, consultative organs of states, political parties, trade unions and decision-making bodies of the media established by public authorities.
The Nordic countries continue to lead in the proportion of women in parliaments, averaging 36.4 per cent. Sweden had the highest share of women in the lower or single house - 40.4 per cent, according to a recent UN report.
The high proportion of women in parliament in the Nordic countries can be explained by many factors, such as the equality of educational opportunity, the recognition by women of the importance of voting and helping to determine election results, and the establishment of comprehensive national state policies aimed at the reconciliation of family and work responsibilities for women and men.
A reverse process occurred in eastern Europe, where the percentage of women in parliament has seriously declined with the transformation towards a market economy and free parliamentary elections. The abolition of quotas for women, which had existed under the old regimes, drastically reduced their number in parliaments. Although the situation has been improving in some countries, the eastern European experience confirms that the establishment of a pluralist parliamentary democracy does not in itself guarantee equal representation of women and men in political decision-making.
If in Ireland we had the conditions that support a more equal participation in political and policy decision-making, what would be the policy outcomes we could achieve with a "critical mass" of women having an influence on how the country's resources are spent? With a commitment to bring about change for all women, we would be much more likely to have State policies that aim for the reconciliation of family and work responsibilities for women and men.
We could have accessible and affordable childcare, for a start; parents in Ireland currently pay up to 90 per cent of their childcare costs in comparison to Sweden, where they pay 20 per cent and Denmark, 33 per cent. We would see a much stronger commitment to a social welfare system that supports the sharing of care between women and men through the introduction of paid parental leave. We would see zero tolerance of violence against women, with stronger legislation to hold those who perpetrate violence against women accountable to the criminal justice system. We would have a better public health service that is equitable and based on need, not the ability to pay; one that is responsive to women's needs and guarantees women the choice to exercise their full reproductive rights.
Finally, countering the pervasive pornographic culture we now live in, we would have positive public messages that affirm in women and girls the value of self-worth and achievement, and that celebrate our diversity.
• Joanna McMinn is director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, which represents over 300,000 women