Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I wish to add some comments to this important debate on increasing women's participation in politics. I did the same recently in Strasbourg where the Council of Europe debated two reports on this issue, one concerning women in politics and the other concerning women's role in conflict and conflict resolution, an issue which is related to our debate. I have been pondering the issues of child care and pay. I may not be flush with money but I would not consider it a major issue and child care is not an issue for me. The main issue for me with regard to the role of women is the culture that exists. A significant difference I already see in this debate is that more men have spoken than did in the Council of Europe debate. In our last debate in the Council of Europe on the issue, only two men offered to contribute. Most of them were not even interested in contributing. The fact our debate was on a Tuesday at a prime time as opposed to Friday lunchtime or Friday afternoon was a big change.

I have been a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for 14 years and recognise how important it is that countries such as Ireland try to change the gender balance. At this stage in the process, we need to introduce positive discrimination. I used be a strong believer in the fact that the best person would always win but, unfortunately, that is not my experience. This is due to the culture. It is one thing to get through an election process to get on a ticket, but it is another thing to get elected. The Irish electoral psyche is not convinced that because 50% of the population is female, women have a role in developing policy, channelling discussion and producing legislation. They do not elect females.