Madam, – Barry Walsh (November 7th) referred to the introduction of gender quotas in politics as an imposition that would be a “gross distortion of the electoral process”. Surely Mr Walsh has missed the point? Any such a distortion can only be attributed to the desire to hold onto power, at all costs, by vested male interests. This laissez-faire attitude shores up an inequitable political system in Ireland.
Now is surely the time to redress the gender imbalance in order to allow the majority of the population to have a proportionate say in how Ireland is run.
International research demonstrates that gender equity in politics is the hallmark of mature and stable democracies. However, evidence also shows that countries, like Sweden, did not attain gender parity in political life by “accident”. On the contrary, more than 100 countries have taken positive initiatives to ensure women’s greater presence in politics through mechanisms such as reserved seats, party quotas and legislative quotas. The rapid diffusion of gender quota policies has been supported by the United Nations (since the adoption of Resolution 56 (1) in 1946) and, over the last decade, by the Council of Europe and European Union, among many other international organisations.
The Joint Oireachtas Justice Committee’s report on women’s participation in politics, which has cross-party support, recommends that legislation be introduced to require political parties to ensure that no more than two-thirds of their candidates be male. This mechanism would be more effective than other quota measures since it would bind all political parties and be enforceable by the State and through the Irish courts.
The message is a clear one – worldwide quota policies work effectively to improve women’s access to political office. Without such action Ireland can expect to fall closer to the “bottom of the international league tables”. – Yours, etc,