Madam, - I wrote a letter drawing attention to the mismatch between the majority status of women in the electorate and the proportion of our elected representatives who are women (August 18th). I quoted the Commission for the Status of Women on the marginalising effect this is having on what the commission calls "women's issues" (its definition, not mine).
In reply, I get ticked off by Julie O'Carroll (August 23rd) for not knowing my biology. At the same time she seems to agree that childcare and flexibility in working life are indeed marginalised.
I can only quote the view of the Commission for the Status of Women that "it is not healthy for democracy or good for women that women make up such a small proportion of our elected representatives. It is essential that women's perspectives are well represented in the most important representative forum in our society".
The commission goes on to say that "the consequences of our present unbalanced representation is that women's interests often have to be lobbied for from outside the Oireachtas".
It concludes that this is unlikely to change "until a critical mass of women representatives has been attained".
I rest my case. - Yours, etc.,
A. LEAVY,
Shielmartin Drive,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.