Bacik calls for positive action on gender equality

Delivering the opening address this morning at an AHCPS (Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants) seminar on women and leadership post-pandemic, Ivana Bacik TD addressed the topic of gender quotas as a way of improving women’s representation in Irish politics and across public and private sectors.

Outlining the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality relating to leadership in politics, public life and the workplace, Deputy Bacik said:

“Research has clearly shown that, in order to increase the levels of women’s participation in politics, public life and the workplace, positive action measures like quotas are necessary. In politics, even with the introduction of a quota law in 2012, representation rates for women in the Dail remain shamefully low at only 23%. This lack of democratic representation means that our democracy is effectively ‘unfinished’.”

Calling for more radical measures on gender quotas to be introduced, Deputy Bacik said:

“Our work on the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality is focused on seeing the implementation of the 45 recommendations made by the Citizens’ Assembly; recommendations which amount to a blueprint for gender equality in Irish society and which include calling for positive action measures to address structural barriers to women’s equal participation in public life and in politics.”