Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

This is an interesting opportunity to speak about women's participation in politics. I compliment Senator Ivana Bacik as the rapporteur on the report which I read some time ago. This debate is an opportunity for me to discuss why I got into politics, why I believe women's participation in politics is important, the barriers they face and, perhaps, some ways to address them.

I got into politics because I believed I had a contribution to make. All we have in life is time and I do not believe in wasting it. If I believed my time in politics was wasted, I would not be in this House. My intentions were very good at the outset, but I have definitely experienced barriers. Some of those arose in the most unexpected places, from men, women, parties and even in this House.

I was fortunate in that my family gave me a good education and that I have been able to adopt two children. In doing that, I wanted to give something back. That was a major reason for me to consider politics. I believe in change for the better and, having been a teacher and subsequently a lecturer, I believed the right area for me to make a contribution was in education. For five or six years before I came into this House, when I had decided to run for politics first and got a good thrashing, in 2002, a bad year for Fine Gael-----