Madam, – As a founder member of the Women’s Political Association, I worked hard in the 1970s and 1980s to increase the number of women in Dáil Éireann. The problem about so few women in politics had resulted in inadequate and unjust legislation, leaving women in the home completely unprotected.
Progress was made slowly but steadily in raising the consciousness of men and women to the inadequacy of a democracy where over half the people were not properly represented and its dire consequences. The numbers increased in the Dáil from four to 20 and then after the election of the first woman President in 1990, it all stopped. Worse, it went backwards.
The big failure of Irish society on this question has been the total absence of interest by successive governments and the two main political parties. Sarah Carey (Opinion, August 12th) instances failed attempts in different areas in Ireland to have gender quotas. With respect, I feel we have to look abroad to countries where the issue was considered grave enough for all-party governmental action of a serious nature. In many cases this involved variants of quota systems along with a range of other measures. We have only to look at the magnificent results of such actions as shown by Prof David Farrell (Weekend Review, August 7th) to be convinced.
The thrust of today’s women’s movement must be to put serious pressure on the political parties and on Government to take action. An election will happen within two years – it should be made a political issue, to test the sincerity of our party leaders. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – When I lived in Northern Ireland I helped the charity Parity to prosecute the then British government in the European Court of Human Rights for discrimination against men in the way the state pension was paid to women five years earlier than to men.
Although we won the case, 10 years on the change has still not yet been implemented and to this day men in Northern Ireland continue to be routinely discriminated against. When we won the right to equal access for men to free travel, the BBC covered the story by interviewing women only and presenting it as a backward step for women.
My complaint to it about unfairness was rejected on the grounds that “only women were affected by the change”. There were of course other aspects of discrimination against men which we overturned, in terms of gender-biased prescription charges, winter fuel payments, widowers’ benefit, etc, but the media has been strangely unwilling to publicise them.
There is continuing discrimination against men in this country: for instance virtually all workplace deaths involve men, as women continue to be under-represented in the most dangerous jobs, but every year the HSA fails to mention this in its report, and the media fails to make it an issue. There are many other examples.
Eithne Reid O’Doherty (August 12th) needs to understand that political representation is about recognising, respecting and delivering the needs of all your constituents, not just those of the her gender. Equality is for everyone, not just for women. – Yours, etc,