Don’t segregate gender in politics

I AM in strong agreement with Labour TD Joanna Tuffy in regards to her decision to boycott the female-only TD and senators meeting that took place on November 9.

As a female student currently studying electoral politics in the National University of Maynooth, I believe this form of segregation will generate a divide between female and male politicians. I am aware that the women of Ireland have fought rigorously over centuries to achieve the right to vote, having been rejected by the patriarchal society of the past, thus is it not a contradiction to repeat and practice the negative gender divide between male and female?

If the issue was to be reversed, and a male-only meeting was to be orchestrated, would this not create mayhem in a society which has only recently achieved gender equality? !We are in a “modern” political system which has not altered greatly in relation to the number of female TDs and senators elected to the Dáil. In the 2007 general election, women represented just 17% of the elected candidates, while today only 25 women sit in the Dáil in comparison with 141 male seats, reducing the female percentage to 15.2%.

Although I acknowledge female representation is an issue which needs to be addressed, I feel that this can be achieved by introducing sustainable measures such as introducing gender quotas within parties, or promoting politics to women in a more adequate way by referring to the political achievements of the female politicians of our past, such as Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese, and current TDs such as Labour Minister Joan Burton.

However, if female politicians create a gender divide in the political atmosphere, it could potentially impact female political candidates negatively as it may impinge on their ability to obtain votes in the future, as they may give the allusion of a gender bias.

Despite the imbalances of the male to female ratio within the Dáil, female candidates have equal representation, which is equivalent to male politicians. This attempt to segregate gender within Irish politics highlights a return to the political thinking of our historical past and the recreation of a gender bias.

This creates a poor image of our female politicians as a whole and is unfair to both male politicians and to the Irish electorate.

Amy Catherine Brennan

Navan

Co Meath