Madam, – It is indeed welcome to have the debate opened on quotas for women in political life. I have read with interest the opinions expressed in your paper all week. The fact remains that the representation of women in the Irish Oireachtas stands at 13 per cent for the Dáil, 14 per cent for the Seanad; we rank 84th internationally. Quotas have worked in other countries. Research has indicated that a critical mass of 30 per cent must be reached before supportive measures, regarding the five “c” inhibitors, childcare, cash, confidence, culture and candidate selection procedures as identified by Ivana Bacik will have an influence. This 30 per cent critical mass is also necessary before women’s voices are participatory.
Ireland has historically led the way. Countess Constance Markievicz was the first elected female Member of Parliament and also the first cabinet minister in western Europe. How far we have fallen! Positive discrimination is a recognised tenet of EU law since as far back as Council Directive 76/207/EEC in February 1976, otherwise known as the Equal Treatment Directive. Quotas have therefore, as a positive measure, been used to redress an imbalance which would not otherwise self-adjust. Our present structures of themselves will not naturally realign to give equal representation of women.
Ireland has less famously also led the way on other equality measures. In Mary Murphy v Bord Telecom, a reference was referred by the High Court to the ECJ in 1988 on the payment of lower wages for higher value work. It doesn’t take genius level to figure out who was doing the higher value work for less pay. Equal pay for equal value work was settled law; the conundrum facing the Irish legal authorities was the less pay for higher value work. The ECJ gave short shift and directed that the women get equal pay for their higher value work. Mary Robinson acted as senior counsel for Mary Murphy.
How far have we come in the last 20 years? The McKinsey business model analysis has consistently shown that having women involved in corporate decision- making leads to increased profitability. Can this country currently do without women in decision- making? Can we afford not to introduce quotas? Have the decisions which have been made by our elected representatives over the last 20 years been good or profitable? Countess Markievicz might well rise from the grave to bring an action for defamation of her memory. – Yours, etc,