Sir, – As a female candidate for Fine Gael in the upcoming local elections, I recognise the importance of addressing the gender balance in politics (“Shortage of women candidates for elections”, January 24th).
Groups such as Women for Politics have been instrumental in highlighting the barriers often encountered when entering political life. Simple measures that will make it easier for women to balance work and family commitments are crucial to changing the political culture in a country where just 15 per cent of Ireland’s TDs are women – a figure that has changed just 1 per cent in the past 20 years.
I hope the debate over equality in politics and also in the workplace will continue in your publication, the Dáil and elsewhere – and help foster an atmosphere where more women candidates seek the opportunity to stand for election in the future. Most important, however, is that voters have a selection of strong, capable candidates – no matter their gender.
The article stated that Fine Gael does not yet have any female candidates in several Dublin wards, including Stillorgan and Rathfarnham. This is not correct. I am standing for Fine Gael in the Stillorgan ward of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, while Fine Gael is also running female candidates in Dundrum (ex-INO President Madeline Spiers), in Glencullen (Aileen Eglinton) and Rathfarnham (Anne-Marie Dermody). – Yours, etc,
JOSEPHA MADIGAN,
Stillorgan Ward
Female Candidate
(Fine Gael)
Glenabbey Road,
Mount Merrion,
Co Dublin.