Dáil debates
Thursday, 31 May 2018
Maternity Protection (Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members]
6:15 pm
Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
This Bill seeks to provide maternity leave for female members of the Houses of the Oireachtas. In doing so, the Bill seeks to address a serious flaw in how the Oireachtas operates, by providing practical measures to ensure female participation in the political process. Bunreacht na hÉireann declares that "every citizen without distinction of sex" will be eligible for election to Dáil Éireann. The reality is that there are barriers to this, identified as far back as 2009 by the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights, as to the five "Cs" that were and continue to be barriers: cash, childcare, confidence, candidate selection and culture. A system that inhibits full participation by over half of the population cannot be said in any meaningful way to be a democratic State. We have taken small but important steps to confront some of these problems, not least by the introduction of gender quotas. However, quotas are not the panacea to the problem of women's under-representation in politics. We hope that this Bill goes some way as part of the necessary response to some of the other challenges identified.
The case for greater female representation is clear. It would improve the quality of political decision making and would deliver more effective representation for female voters. This Bill seeks to provide a practical measure which will allow and assist in ensuring that women can participate in shaping the collective decisions which bind us all. Countess Markievicz was the first female MP to be elected, in December 1918 while carrying out a prison sentence. Countess Markievicz was elected to the House of Commons as a representative for Dublin's St. Patrick's division. As an Irish republican, she chose not to take up her seat. She later served as the Minister for Labour in the First Dáil and was a founding member of Fianna Fáil in 1926. There was not another female Cabinet Minister until 1979, when former Fianna Fáil Deputy Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed Minister for the Gaeltacht. Only 19 women have ever been appointed to Cabinet. Disappointingly, the number of women in the Cabinet was diluted by the current Taoiseach upon his appointment. The continued political gap also exists in boardrooms. Ireland's female boardroom rate currently stands at approximately 16% and the National Women's Council of Ireland has called for quotas in the country to ensure a fairer female representation in business.
Fianna Fáil is proud of its efforts to expand female participation in politics. We have conducted systematic reviews and actions to boost numbers going for office and internal party positions. We are committed to addressing issues such as the gender pay gap, the five "C" barriers to female political participation in politics, and expanding boardroom membership for women. We need reforms and measures that nurture the role and contribution of women in politics and we believe that this Bill is another small step towards making that a reality.
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