47% of women don’t have female TD

NEARLY half of women voters suffer “gender disenfranchisement” because they lack a female TD representing their Dáil constituency, it was claimed last night.

The lack of diversity in the Dáil has prompted calls for quotas – and even fines – for political parties who fail to increase their gender equality records when selecting candidates, and the situation has been highlighted by the announcement by three well known women TDs that they will not stand again.

Some 47% of female voters live in the 23 of 43 Dáil constituencies which are without any women TDs – and 10 constituencies have had only male deputies representing them since 1992.