Women For Election organisation call on Taoiseach to reflect gender balance in Irish government

The #MoreWomen campaign was launched last Thursday (June 15) by Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald and is already half way to reaching its target of €50,000, which will go to subsidising training for 300 women considering entering political life and making them ready to run in the next local and general elections.

Pictured above are some of the politicians supporting the initiative, including: Catherine Murphy TD, Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald, Eamon Ryan TD, Senator Rose Conway Walsh and Kate O’Connell TD.

In a statement to the Taoiseach, the Women For Election made clear that they sought to build on the momentum of the #MoreWomen campaign to advocate for gender balance in Irish politics:

A strong desire for more equal gender representation in Irish politics has been demonstrated by the momentum of Women for Election’s crowdfunding campaign, founder Niamh Gallagher has said. The #MoreWomen Campaign has raised more than €25,000 in just five days.

Niamh Gallagher has urged Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to consider the strength of feeling on the issue and strive for more gender balance when he appoints Junior Ministers this week.

Gallagher said, “Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s Cabinet announcement last week was a missed opportunity to build on recent progress that had been made towards gender balance among senior Ministers. I urge the Taoiseach to consider the strength of feeling demonstrated by our campaign, and elsewhere, and ensure a greater focus on gender balance when selecting his Junior Ministers.

“The Taoiseach has said he wants to create a ‘Republic of Opportunity’. If women are to believe that there are real opportunities for them in Irish politics, we need to see Government leadership that more closely resembles the gender balance in Irish society.

“Progress has been made in recent years, but accounting for just one-in-five TDs, women are still a minority in the Dáil. Our campaign demonstrates that people want to see that change, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has an opportunity to help make that happen by more fairly representing women in his Minister of State appointments this week.

“Of course, Ministerial appointments should be made on the basis of ability, but there are plenty of women in the Dail who have proved themselves more than able, and the Taoiseach has a responsibility to ensure women’s voices are heard on policy and political decisions over the course of his leadership,” Niamh Gallagher concluded.

Full details of the campaign at womenforelection.ie