Professor Yvonne Galligan:

The question of incentives and sanctions is an interesting one. The calibration of incentives and sanctions is key to affecting the outcome that one requires. It struck me that while incentives can be framed in terms of financial support or financial incentives, sanctions can also be framed in that regard, for example, by local authorities reducing the incentive funding they have received. In the case of other areas such as nominating bodies, I wonder if an electoral commission could actually refuse the list submitted by such a body if its nomination was not a balanced one. Perhaps something could be done around that. This happens quite frequently in other countries. For example, in Belgium lists are refused from parties if they are not gender balanced. I know we operate in a different electoral system and all the rest but it struck me, arising from Senator Warfield’s comments on nominating bodies, that this is an area that could be explored.

I would like to link the idea of the requirement to publish gender equality plans with the context of the arts bodies and other bodies. In the publication of those plans it is possible to make those bodies accountable for their lack of progress. This allows for a transparent measure over a period of time - two, three or five years, or whatever - to be able to judge whether arts bodies, sports bodies or any other organisation or body have actually progressed in achieving their gender equality targets and plans. That is a strong incentive mechanism to implement gender equality. It is part of the institutional framework rather than part of the financial context in relation to it.

Private boards probably need to be treated a little differently because they are private entities. Nonetheless, there will be examples and cases in other countries where measures are in place that require private boards that fail to reach gender balance on their boards to address the matter. This may be in the form of a note to them that states they have three months or six months to address the problem such that there can be an increasing level of attention paid to that issue for private boards.