VOTE FOR WOMEN!

Marie Bashford-Synnott M.A. (Hons) Women's Studies University College Dublin Ireland.

INTRODUCTION

In 2016 Ireland will celebrate the Centenary of the Easter Rising (The Irish Revolution) which led to Independence from England and to the founding of the Irish Republic.While it iswell known that women and girls played a vital part in fighting for and setting up the Irish Republic, incredibly, our First Dil (Parliament) only included one female, in contrast to 72 men. Even today, almost a hundred years later, the 3lst Dail includes just 25 women in contrast to 141 men. In order to address this deficit in Irish democracy, the Electoral Amendment Bill 2011, which brings into Irish law the concept of gender quotas, recently passed all stages in the Dail (Irish Parliament) and now awaits only the signature of the President in order to be fully enacted. This alone however, as other democracies have discovered, will not quarantee equality of representation for the female population in society, as there are other factors which come into play, particularly cultural bias.

Eamonn De Valera, one of the Signatories of the Irish Proclamation, (the Manifesto of the Easter Rebellion), and the only one of them who escaped execution , by virtue of his American birth, said that women are the boldest and most unmanageable of revolutionaries. (1) In fact, as commander at Boland's Mills, on the first morning of the Rising, he refused to allow women to become involved, not even in a supportive role. Small wonder, then, that in the new Constitution of l937, as leader of the Government, he instigated the move towards defining the place of women as that of wife and mother in the home. This he enshrined in two separate Articles.

However,women played their full part in other strongholds during the Easter Rising,with Dr. Kathleen Lynn taking over the role of Commandant at Dublin Castle when Sean Connolly was shot dead, and Constance Markiewich commanding the College of Surgeons on St. Stephen's Green. Later, these two women, among many, would suffer internment in both Ireland and England, where they chose to endure being forcibly fed while on hunger strike. Other women held pivotal roles. Kathleen Clarke, the widow of the executed leader, Tom Clarke, was entrusted with the finances and the enormous task of providing for the dependents of the rebels who died during the week of the Easter Rising. Her Biography gives a very comprehensive account of the work of women during these traumatic times.(2 )

When it came to it, though, the lofty sentiments of treating all men and women equally which the Proclamation had proudly stated, came to nothing. The work and sacrifice of the thousands of women during the fight for and the setting up of the new Irish Republic were ignored by their former male comrades. When popular support for the Nationalist position encouraged the newly

formed party of Sinn Fein to run for the l918 General Election, shockingly, not one woman was to be put up for election. In fact a Caucus, The League of Deputies, had to be formed by the marginalized women to force female representation , though this eventually resulted in only two women being allowed to run. Neither was provided with the same support and funding their male colleagues received. Only one woman was elected. (3)

The deep conservatism of the leaders who survived the Easter Rising, and the adherence of most of them to the values of the Catholic Church soon led to the systematic exclusion of women from Irish life. De Valera's new Constitution of 1937, various Labour Laws and the exclusion of women from Jury Service all contributed to this. It is only in recent years that the part women played in the early days of our Republic have begun to be recognised. Up to then it had been treated as almost a shameful secret within the families of many of these women. Much documentary evidence had been destroyed over the years, but enough still remains and more is becoming available, for the scholarly work which is ongoing by various academics and groups. Bit by bit the stories of these brave and resourceful women of 1916 and onwards are being brought to light.

However, since joining the European Union in 1972 the deep conservatism that was endemic in Ireland has been gradually eroded. The advent of Television in the 60's and the Second Wave of Feminism in Ireland in the 70's were also important factors. Many rights which had been taken from women since the founding of the State were fought for and won back. Now, after much debate, the new Electoral Amendment Bill 2011, which will soon be enacted, contains a clause which will halve State funds to political parties unless 30% of the candidates at the next General Election, which happens in 2014, are women and 30% men. In fact, it also states that within 7 years, this quota must rise to 40%.

The core idea behind quota systems is to recruit women into political positions and to ensure that women are not only a few tokens in political life. However, quotas are and have been a very contentious subject. Many believe that they are against the principle of equal opportunity since women are given preference over men. Those in favour counter this by saying that quotas for women do not discriminate but compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share of the public seats. Another contention is that quotas are undemocratic because voters should be able to decide who is elected. To answer this, the fact is that political parties actually control the selection conventions, not the voters. The voters decide which candidate gets elected: therefore quotas are not violations of voters' rights. And of course the big one: Introducing quotas will create significant conflict within the party organizations. Which of course it will. But only temporarily.(4)

The Irish lobby group,Women for Election,welcomed the development but said the legislation would not be enough to encourage women to run for office. Pro-active measures such as mentoring and training were necessary to ensure this. The General Secretary of Fine Gael, the senior party in the present Coalition Government, Tom Curran, said the measure was essential to bring more women into politics, but warned there's going to be blood on the floor at selection conventions as a consequence.(!!) (5) A poll in 2011 revealed that a majority of sitting female T.D.s (Members of Parliament) opposed the introduction of quotas. Many of these, however, came from political dynasties. They did not seem to take into consideration that in occupying seats vacated by close relations they had no experience of the problem of marginalization.(6)

According to a study done on Gender Quotas: It seems important that quotas are not just imposed from above,but rest on grass root mobilization of women and the active participation of women's organizations. Quotas of themselves do not remove all the other barriers for women's full citizenship. (7)

The Norwegian Labour Party estimates that it takes at least three elections to fully implement a quota system (Dahlerup, 2002:2) Argentina, Spain and Belgium are examples of countries that employ quota legislation. The average rate of women political representation in these three countries is a very respectable 38%/ in contrast to the current Irish level of l5%.(8)

Academic literature sets out five main challenges that prevent women from making a breakthrough in local and national politics: care, cash, culture, confidence and candidate selection. These constraints are well represented in Ireland, particularly that of care. There is no State-subsidised child-care system in Ireland, in spite of the high percentage of women working outside the home, (many because of necessity). Perhaps some day a woman will take an action against the Government , citing De Valera's l937 Constitution, Article 41. 2.2. : , The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home

That will be the day when women really stand up for themselves in the Irish Republic. Particularly in the current recession thousands of mothers are in fact compelled to work outside the home out of necessity. Many of them would prefer to mind their own children at home , at least while they are little,but the contribution of the woman in the home is completely ignored as work in this country. It is hyprocrasy to have such a pious sentiment in our Constitution when, as another Article, 4l.2.l. States that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.(!)

With a stronger representation of women, these and other anomalies regarding the lives of women might be better addressed. Liz O'Donnell, one of the few women to reach a high office in Irish Government, holding the position of T.D.( Member of Parliament) for l5 years, and that of Junior Minister at the Cabinet Table, writing in the Irish Independent Newspaper, welcomed the new Electoral legislation. But she warned that now that it is here, we must just get on with it, that until we have more women participating in politics in Ireland, our democracy is unfinished. All quotas do is ensure the electorate is given a choice on a ballot paper of men and women. Votes must still be won fair and square. (9))

There is a General Election in 2014, when gender quotas for selection of candidates for election will be used for the first time in Ireland. It is a disgrace that we have to resort to this necessary device of Gender Quotas in order to give 51% of our population the right to proper representation. In utter denial for almost one hundred years of what is owed to all those women who worked so tirelessly for an Irish Republic, it is only now that our Government is moving to redress this imbalance in our democracy. Remember what is owed. Remember the Women of l916, and

when you go to the ballot box: VOTE FOR WOMEN!

PSA: VOTE FOR WOMEN! - http://www.scribd.com/doc/145919775/Vote-for-Women-PosterNew1

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Ward, Margaret. Print. March l996. Unmanageable Revolutionaries. Pluto Press (U.K) 2. Clarke, Kathleen.Print. 8th March 2008.Third Edition.Kathleen Clarke, Revolutionary Woman. O'Brien Press Ltd. Ireland. 3. Ward, Margaret. You Tube. Www.youtube.com?watch?v=hmv4mrJ1s2m 4. www.quotaproject.org./aboutQuotas.cfm

1. Minihane,Mary. Newspaper llth June 2013 Gender Quotas are set to become Law.. Irish Times. 2. Www.Independent.IE/opinion/lizo'donnell-the-quota-debate-for-the-Dail-is-over-now-letsget-on-with-voting-in-some-smart-women.29111857. Html. 3. Www.quotaproject.org/index.cfm 4. www.nwci.i.e./blog//2011/10 5. wwwInependent.IE/opinion/lizo'donnell-the-quota-debate-for-the-Dail-is-over-now-lets-geton-with-voting-in-some-smart-women.29111857.html.

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