New Meath West TD draws criticism over remarks made about strict gender quotas
Meath West's first female TD has come under fire for comments she made about gender balance in the new cabinet last week.
Deputy Aisling Dempsey is quoted as saying she felt the calls for strict gender balance had gone “too far”.
She said that women should be supported to progress up through the ranks at local level, and beyond, but that the onus should not be on Mr Martin to address gender criticisms in all of his appointments.
Fine Gael's Cllr Maria Murphy, chair of the Meath Women's Caucus disagreed, saying more women were needed at all levels of politics, while Moira Leydon, chair of the Labour party Constituency Council for Meath West asked "What is it about Leinster House that induces sudden u-turns in its members’ worldview?"
"Prior to her election as the first female TD for the Meath West constituency, as a county councillor, Ms Dempsey was an active member of the latter’s Meath Women’s Caucus. Launched on International Women’s Day on 7th March 2022, it aims to ‘highlight the need for more female representation, while working to remove the barriers holding women back from achieving their full potential’. Now such ambitions would appear a step too far. Is there something in the ether or am I unaware of an initiation procedure peculiar to Leinster House?" asked Ms Leydon.
Cllr Murphy said: "We need more women at all levels of politics, on the council, in the Dail and in the cabinet.
"Fine Gael has been proactive in giving women the opportunity to go on the ballot paper. We have seen increases but they have been slow.
"We lost two of our female county councillors in the general election, but only one woman was co opted to replace them."
"I would like to see more women in Government as Ministers and Junior Ministers. Across the parties, there are women who are just as capable as their male counterparts. The leaders have a duty to positively re-enforce women at these levels.
"Women have a different way of approaching business and a different perspective that needs to be advanced. Our former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee has done wonderful work on legislation on coercive control and domestic violence, which was long overdue."
Deputy Dempsey said: "There is no-one more disappointed than me that only 25 per cent of successful TDs were female despite the fact that more than 40 per cent of the candidates put up by political parties were female. Fianna Fáil selected the highest number of female candidates (34) across all parties.
"The simple fact is that the electorate did not return enough women to the Dáil despite the 40 per cent gender quota in place for elections.
"The point I was making is that this imbalance in politics will not be rectified by token gestures in the appointment of ministers. Ministerial roles are extremely important and those selected for them should be based on many factors – ability, experience, and, yes, gender.
"I firmly believe all parties need to work, not at the eleventh hour, to encourage women into politics or any male dominated career. It needs to be a concerted ongoing effort and might even require positive discrimination for a period to get a more balanced representation in our institutions. We need to work at our grassroots / local organisation level to identify and encourage women to run for local and national government.
"I am committed to this since I entered politics. That is why I was instrumental in setting up the Meath Women's Caucus in Meath Council and served on the first board. I attend schools and give talks, as a local politician, to encourage young people to participate in politics.
"I want women to become involved and active in politics so we can redress the current imbalances in public life and I’ll continue to work hard to encourage more women to become active and involved."