I’m weary of male voices shouting in this chest-thumping election campaign

With a more equal gender balance in the Dáil, we might get a more measured political debate, writes Alison O’Connor

WHEN I look at my ballot paper on February 26 I will have a choice of voting for four females amongst all the candidates listed. This is actually the average number of women running in each constituency in this general election, with the female candidate percentage more than doubling since 2011. That major change is thanks to one of the best achievements of the Fine Gael/Labour Government, the introduction of candidate quotas.

Whatever happens on election day, even with a fantastic result for the female candidates, there will no overnight change in Irish politics or any immediate cultural shift as a result of an improved gender balance. However, it would hopefully be the beginning of something very significant in our national politics.