Dáil life not conducive to gender parity

Long sitting hours, late-night party meetings, and the clientele-style nature which requires TDs to be available to voters "day and night" make politics in Ireland incompatible with personal and family life.

That is according to a report which recommends that the Government examine measures to “transform the Irish political system” — including the opening hours of the Dáil — to make it more responsive to the family needs of its members.

It says maternity leave, not currently available to TDs, be provided for at least 18 weeks, during which a guaranteed vote-pairing arrangement with opposing parties would be provided.

Paternity leave of one week should be provided to male TDs, it says, noting the current Dáil arrangements are “disadvantageous to the personal and family life for members of both sexes”.

The report, ‘Towards Gender Parity in Decision-Making in Ireland’, which has been submitted to the Cabinet, finds that women are under-represented across all-important roles in Irish life including the civil service, the diplomatic corps, the judiciary, and state and corporate boards.

It says the “weakest gender equality indicator” is in politics, where Ireland compares poorly with other EU countries.

The report says women have been under-represented in Irish politics throughout the history of the State and “effectively there has been no significant increase in women’s involvement in politics for more than 15 years”.

The report, compiled by an Oireachtas subcommittee, recommends a review of the sitting times of the Dáil and Seanad. It notes that members of the German Bundestag spend one week in every four in their constituency, “which is somewhat more conducive to the support of family life”.

Gender quotas will be in place in the next general election, requiring parties to ensure 30% of their candidates or women, or risk losing their State funding.

The report says if parties miss this target, the Government should consider “a legislative quota for party candidates whereby each party would be required to submit the names of equal number of men and women in each constituency”.

It says that bringing more women into politics might require parties to “move outside their current memberships and explore new sources of members”.

The community, professional, and voluntary sector are sources of “talented women whose work-related skills offer an excellent preparation for the work required of a politician both as public representative and public lawmakers”, it adds.