Why aren't the girls playing with Dáils?

GRÁINNE LOUGHRAN, Political commentator

In the general election we suffered the loss in the Dáil of TDs Mary Hanafin and Mary Coughlan. They’re not a loss because they were particularly fine politicians, nor because they were Fianna Fáil candidates (insert appropriate political jibe here)- they’re a loss because they’re two of the few women to sit in the Dáil.

There are 166 seats in the Dáil and in our newly elected government 23 will be filled by women. A low number- but in fact, it’s the highest number of women ever to serve as TDs at once. Women have never played as big a part in politics as men and Irish history is dotted with the likes of Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera with little or no mention of any women having a major impact on politics. This isn’t a sexism thing- women really haven’t made much impact politically. We’ve never had a female Taoiseach and while our last two presidents have been women, the president has little or no power over the actual running of the country. Mary Harney resigned as leader of the now extinct Progressive Democrats party and at the moment the only strong female influence on politics in Ireland is Joan Burton of the Labour Party.

But why is it that so few women in Ireland get into politics? It certainly isn’t because they’re not as capable leaders- look at Angela Merkel, the current German chancellor and the infamous Margaret Thatcher of Britain. It’s not that women are less interested in how the country is being run, nor that they’re too busy trying to get the perfect shoes to match their outfit. Irish girls are as well educated and given the same opportunities as boys. They’re certainly well up to the task, and choosing not to partake in political life.

 Is this purely a case of not having strong enough female role models, or is there something more behind it? We certainly don’t have anyone to aspire to be in Irish politics. Countess Markievicz was the first woman to really influence the political situation in Ireland but few have followed in her footsteps. Irish girls have been looking at the Dáil for years and seeing middle aged men who share nothing in common with them running the country into a hole. It’s time to see a change in the way the young ladies of Ireland think and it’s time for a change in the running of Irish politics. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, said Gandhi. Well, maybe we will. And maybe in the future it’ll be us providing the inspirational quotes at the ends of articles like this.