'We were able to get a woman to outer space before we could get one elected'

Former Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has spoken about the difficulties facing women in politics by saying “we were able to get a woman to outer space before we could get a woman elected to the county councils in the North West”.

Ms Coughlan was one of the guest speakers at a seminar to promote the need for more women in politics in the North West. ‘What Would You Do to See Her Elected’ took place on Friday at Central Hotel, Donegal Town.

The event was organised by 50/50 North West and See Her Elected, a programme run by Longford Women’s Link which supports women in rural Ireland to become County Councillors and prepare for Local Elections 2024.

Ms Coughlan, Senator Eileen Flynn and Dr Edel McSharry, Councillors Finola Armstrong McGuire (FG, Leitrim), Niamh Kennedy (Ind, Donegal) and Sinn Féin member Pippa Black were some of the guest speakers contributing to the event.

“We need to bring back a sense of respect into political life and support more women to become involved at decision making tables,” Mary Coughlan said.

She has held numerous senior cabinet positions and said that politics was changing and being from a ‘political dynasty or political family’ was not necessary in today’s society as politics was becoming more inclusive.

The former Tánaiste also noted that it was not necessary to ‘have a PHD to become involved in politics” and she noted that many women were already involved in various types of community work and would make ideal candidates.

“You need to surround yourself with a strong campaign team made up of people with different skills and don’t be afraid to delegate,” said Mrs Coughlan.

“There is a huge sense of gratification in representing your community and your people, participating in policy and decision making and getting things done. But I really feel that respect needs to be brought back into political life, respect for those you put their name forward, respect for those who are elected and respect within the chamber for each other’s point of view.”

Senator Eileen Flynn spoke about the “guilt” she experienced trying to juggle motherhood with political life and she called for more national support and more support from political parties to ensure there were more women in the political arena.

“We’re very good at putting ourselves down and it’s our own guilt- sometimes the barriers we have are in our own heads. We need to squeeze ourselves into the spaces where we’re not expected to be,” said Senator Flynn.

Dr Michelle Maher, Programme Manager for See Her Elected said that it was 1979 before a woman was elected to Donegal County Council and there have only ever been 11 women elected to Donegal council since the foundation of the State. “It was 1979 before the first woman was elected to the county council in Leitrim and it was 1985 before the first woman was elected to Sligo County Council. In 1963 Soviet Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space so we were able to get a woman to outer space before we could get a woman onto the county councils in the North West,” said Dr Maher.

Dr Edel McSharry, a former Director of Elections shared her knowledge on campaign management, and she spoke about the importance of building a “multi-skilled kitchen table team” around the candidate and the importance of listening to the community about the issues at grassroots level.

Dr Jacqueline O'Toole, Senior Lecturer, Office of Academic Affairs, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo said that the seminar was a “call to arms” for women in the North West.

“We know how active women are in community life and we need to tap into this skill set. Research from UCC has shown that there is no electoral bias against women, the problem is just not enough women are appearing on the ballot papers,” said Dr O’ Toole.

She highlighted the dynamic of care and noted that the idea of women being told their roles as wives, carers and homemakers was “cemented” and this “emphasis on special caring roles” has a huge impact “on all the other choices women make”.

Dr O’ Toole said that a recent EU survey found that the majority of caring roles in the EU is provided for free by women and she noted the findings of a Safe Ireland study from 2019 which found that 26% of young people aged 16-25 still thought of the male as being head of the household. Dr O’ Toole said that shared responsibility was necessary and that only by getting more women into politics that change would continue.

Nóirín Clancy of 50/50 North West said: “We cannot be complacent about equality. Women – and particularly those from minority backgrounds - are vastly underrepresented in county councillors in Ireland. After the 2019 local elections, women hold just 26% of council seats and the figures are particularly stark in rural Ireland. For example, there are only 4 female councillors out of 37 in a large county like Donegal while Leitrim and Sligo both have just 3 women out of 18 councillors and we want to see those numbers increase for the Local Elections 2024.”