Two-thirds of women in local politics have experienced online threats and harassment

Abuse identified as key reason why women are under-represented in local politics.

One respondent said that a fake Facebook account purporting to be her has been running for two years and 'saying all sorts of disgusting things'.

Two-thirds of women serving in local politics have experienced online threats, harassment, or intimidation due to their role as a councillor, a new survey has shown.

Abuse has been identified as one of the key reasons why women and minorities remain grossly under-represented in local politics.

Over 40% of the survey participants revealed that they seriously considered leaving office because of such abuse. Worryingly, this behaviour is not confined to the online world with just under two-thirds of women saying they experienced it in face-to-face interactions with members of the public.

New research commissioned by the National Women's Council (NWC), said there needs to be supports available to help individuals deal with abuse when it happens and to provide aftercare to reduce its consequences both personally and professionally.

One respondent said that a fake Facebook account purporting to be her has been running for two years and "saying all sorts of disgusting things".

A number of women also reported inappropriate behaviour from other political representatives.

As a result, the report recommends training in gender-based inappropriate language and behaviour as well as recourse to a system of complaint where a male councillor behaves in a manner that would not be tolerated in an ordinary workplace. It was also recommended that the requirement for election candidates to publish their home address be removed.

Women candidates

A woman quoted in the research said she approached eight women about running in the recent local elections and all were put off because of the abuse they would be subjected to.

A record number of women candidates ran in the local elections earlier this month however, in two local electoral areas there were no women on the ballot, and both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ran less than 30% women candidates.

That over 50 women running in the local elections were from a migrant background was viewed positively but there were no Traveller women candidates which revealed there is work still to be done in terms of representation in this area.

“Despite the many gendered pressures on them, women councillors show real resilience and perseverance in putting themselves forward for election. Many women councillors found women’s caucuses to be supportive," said Pauline Cullen, co-author of the report.

Ms Cullen and co-author Claire McGing found that low pay and care responsibilities also influenced women's decisions as to whether they would put themselves forward for re-election. Most participants reported that being a local councillor had negatively impacted their family life, general well-being, mental health, social life, and work-life balance.

Women councillors often find themselves working a 'triple shift' combining paid work, unpaid care work, and council duties.

The report found that there is an expectation that local candidates will provide free labour to the local party before getting selected, something which places women at a disadvantage as this extra layer of labour and time commitment is not always feasible for women with caring responsibilities.

"The job of a public representative is supposed to be part-time, thereby enabling a second job. My experience is that the job of a public representative is more than full-time," one respondent said.

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Maternity and parental leave was an issue brought up by a number of women, one of whom gave birth at a time when there was no maternity leave. She said that she was fielding calls from the maternity unit and her husband had to bring the baby in to be  breastfed as she would not do it in the chamber and no facilities were provided.

Maternity leave was introduced in 2022 but the report found resistance towards elected representatives taking maternity leave is evident.

"In no other job would ‘maternity leave’ mean finding my own replacement, then resigning to go on statutory benefits — with only a gentleman’s agreement by the replacement to actually vacate the role when I wish to return," said one woman.

It was recommended that increased remuneration and creche facilities be introduced in local authorities in order to support councillors with care work. The report stated that structural reform is required to address the rules, procedures and cultures of politics that negatively affect the diversity of candidates.