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| Irish female politicians past and present |
In theory, I get why quotas might be discomforting, even to
avowed feminists. There’s a danger it codifies rather than breaks down the
glass ceiling, merely giving women in politics a slightly larger cordon than
they already have.
But a 30% quota shouldn’t be seen as the solution, but as
the introduction of a bare minimum of standards. At the minute, there is a
pathetic dearth of women in the Dáil, and an even more pathetic dearth of
candidates. Only three constituencies had five women candidates running (none
had more than that) and some constituencies had no women running in them at
all. Unless you think women are physiologically less able to run for and hold elected
office (i.e. insane), that means the current system is failing them badly.
There are all sorts of reasons why there haven’t been enough
women in politics over the years, fundamental to them all though was a default
patriarchy, a patriarchy that thanks to the 1937 Constitution has been both
followed in the breach and the observance. But past practice and policy is no
justification to perpetuate it, and in modern times it’s simply not acceptable
to call for anyone to call for a fair race when you have a head start of miles.
The thing is, people can say they’re all for equality until
their hair turns blue but it requires people to do something about it to
actually achieve it. As it stands, political parties are not doing enough to shake
off their just-for-the-lads mentality and seek out women candidates, women who
are put off by the system as it stands and have taken their much-needed skills
elsewhere. And even the ones that are in the political system are in a pitiful
minority in the top jobs: three out of fifteen full cabinet ministers and four
out of fifteen is a risible number in 2012.
But it’s not just a case of upping the numbers for the sake
of it, we badly need the views and expertise of a wide range of people at
government level and we only do ourselves a disservice by not listening to
them. It’s absolute lunacy that half the voting public don’t even account for a
quarter of the representation.
Not that the drive for equality should end with women, it’s
just as vital that people of different cultures and creeds and classes
participate in the political process and shape it to wider benefit. That requires a level of diversity and
outreach that some may find unsettling or PC gone mad or what have you, but if
the political system shook itself out of its’ monolithic torpor in the first
place the question of quotas wouldn’t need to be broached at all.
In the landmark British sitcom Yes Prime Minister, when an
idea very similar to this was proposed at a civil service meeting, all the
(male) heads of department wholeheartedly agreed with the idea but one by one
suggested problems implementing it. The Foreign Office couldn’t appoint women
ambassadors to Arab countries, the Home Office wasn’t suitable because women
couldn’t run prisons, Employment was a no-go because of the difficult to
manage, burly trade unionists and Defence was out because a woman wasn’t really
suitable to run security or rough it with Admirals. As sure as art imitates
life, hegemony will always put up a fight, but they’re on the wrong side of
this one.
Having traipsed up and down the country as a youth worker,
I’ve done projects with a great many fantastic young women, young women who if
they were so inclined could go right to the top of the political ladder. A lot
of them come from constituencies where women were all but non-existent on the
ballot paper, and so the question we have to ask ourself is, will we stand for
another generation of talented young woman having obstacle and stymie thrown
their way? Quotas aren’t perfect and they aren’t a solution, but we need
political parties finding these young women, and we need them too. Our future
depends on them.