Stats show Ireland has a long way to go to address under-representation of women in politics

As the Houses of the Oireachtas gear up for Vótáil 100, the official commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the parliamentary vote for women in Ireland this year, the 2016 CSO figures demonstrate the continuing under-representation of women at political level nationally and locally.

Less than a quarter (22.2%) of TDs were women in 2016, and they accounted for only 21.4% of members of local authorities. However, these figures were an improvement on 2013, when just over 15% of TDs and less than a fifth of local authority members were women.

This increase is largely down to the introduction of quotas in 2012, a move which initially met with some resistance but has since been acknowledged by many former opponents as a necessity.