More Women running in June’s Local Elections than ever before
More Women running in June’s Local Elections than ever before
562 women – so far – will contest the Local Elections
Women for Election welcome the arrival at a very significant milestone: the number of women intending to run in the local elections on June 7th surpasses the number that ran in 2019 and is the largest number that will ever contest a Local Election in Ireland.
“It is good news for the health of our democracy that more women than ever before are stepping forward to participate in the democratic process, to represent their communities and to bring their voices to local decision-making” said Brian Sheehan, CEO of Women for Election.
As of yesterday, there were 562 women intending to run, according to academic Adrian Kavanagh, compared to the 561 that ran in 2019, which was just 28% of all candidates. With formal nominations not closing until 18th May, it is expected that this number will continue to increase.
“We have worked over the last number of years to support many of the women intending to stand for election, and we commend their courage, their commitment to public service and their determination to making a difference in their communities, despite the recognised challenges women face when considering politics.”
Currently just one in four Councillors are women. There is no women Councillor in 41 of the 166 Local Election Areas that make up our 31 City & County Councils. Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council was the only Council that had 50:50 gender representation at the last local election and currently has 19 women out of 40 Councillors. Mayo has 2 out of 30 Councillors who are women (7%).
“When our institutions are so unrepresentative of the population, they struggle to truly serve the population’s interests. The upcoming Local Elections provide a one-in-five-year chance to reshape our local democracy and have a proper representation of women on our Councils.”
“However, the pace of change is too slow – both at Dáil and Local Government level. There is a crucial need for Government to implement quotas at local level to create greater opportunities for women and for people from diverse backgrounds to be represented in Local Government.”
“We need a critical mass of women in local and national government to change our political culture and to galvanise our democracy. We know that gender quotas can propel change, by forcing political parties to be proactive in candidate recruitment and by challenging biases in political culture” concluded Sheehan.
ENDS
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Katie Deegan
Women for Election – Katie@womenforelection.ie
www.womenforelection.ie
Editors Notes:
Women running in the Local Elections this June across every Council in the country are available for comment and interview.
Details of the women declared to run are taken from Adrian Kavanagh’s blog on the local elections that is keeping track of all prospective candidates.
Women for Election have a DataHub which has comprehensive information on the numbers of women running and elected in local elections since 1991. Women for Election is a non-profit organisation dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected office. Through training, support, and outreach programs, we strive to empower women from all backgrounds to enter politics and effect positive change in their communities. Join us in our mission to build a more inclusive and equitable political landscape.
