Low number of female appointees criticised as 'an affront to gender equality'

Ivana Bacik said there are as many men called James in Cabinet as senior women. Picture: Maxwells

The decision to appoint just three women as senior Cabinet ministers has been labelled an "affront to gender equality".

Micheál Martin announced his Cabinet this evening, with Helen McEntee, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Norma Foley, Mary Butler, and Hildegarde Naughton included.

With Ms Butler and Ms Naughton taking on junior and super junior ministerial roles respectively, this means only three senior ministers are women, compared to four in the previous Dáil.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik pointed out that there are as many men called James as there are senior women in Cabinet.

Despite the electorate voting in a record number of women in the general election, this is not reflected in the number of female senior ministers, which is down 25%.

Both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste Simon Harris faced further criticism in the Dáil chamber, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald stating: "You have got the gender balance wrong; you're very male."

'You have got the gender balance wrong,' said Mary Lou McDonald. Picture: Houses of Oireachtas 

"I have to say, as an Irish woman, leaving aside that I’m a parliamentarian, I find it kind of depressing that we see the absence of us," said Ms McDonald.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore noted that the Dáil has the worst gender balance of parliaments in Western Europe.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael pay lip service to increasing women’s representation in politics. They just don’t believe in promoting them when they get elected. 

"Instead of working to address that by promoting talented women from within their own ranks, the Government parties have reverted to type, creating a cosy boys’ club," said Ms Whitmore.

"It is shocking and disappointing and an affront to gender equality," said CEO of Women for Election, Brian Sheehan.

The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste Simon Harris made a choice not to even maintain the 25% from the previous Cabinet, he said.

"It is hard to believe this wasn't knowingly done. They must know the optics and the impact of this decision."

Mr Sheehan said that both men claim to promote gender equality but when they had the opportunity to do so, they squandered it.

Orla O'Connor said the message being sent out to women, especially those thinking of entering politics, is very poor. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The message that is being sent out to women, especially those who are in or thinking about entering politics, is very poor, said director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, Orla O'Connor.

It is not a good start to this new Government, and gender equality should be taken into serious consideration when it comes to the appointment of junior ministers, said Ms O'Connor.

The Government was also criticised for the geographical make-up of the Cabinet, with Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín calling it "an east coast Government".

Overall, the new Cabinet was likened to rearranging deck chairs, with new faces fronting the same policies as before, the opposition said, while the programme for government lacks vision and is simply a copy of the one published by the previous Dáil.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly said the Government has "utterly failed" to recognise some of the biggest issues facing Irish society.