Madam, – Yes, we do have legislation which prevents bias on the grounds of gender (May 31st). It is precisely to enact this legislation that gender quotas are to be welcomed.
Women make up half our population. At the moment, 15 per cent of our TDs are women. How does this reflect gender equality? Research identifies the five Cs which block women’s access to political participation: childcare, cash, confidence, culture and candidate selection. Introduction of gender quotas for candidate selection will at least give women a chance to join the electoral race. Candidate selection is not a matter for the electorate, but is entirely up to the political parties. Today many parties use interviews and other methods to select candidates. Women will now be strongly encouraged to step forward knowing there is a place for them. As most political parties are working to increase the number of women candidates, they should find many capable women eager to accept the challenge. It is still up to the voters to democratically elect the candidate they consider best for the job. – Yours, etc,