Meath representatives, MEP Mairead McGuinness and Minister Helen McEntee.

'Politics needs women - but do women need politics?' asks McGuinness

Addressing a conference in Dublin today entitled ‘Politics Needs Women’ and held to mark 100 years to the day (December 14th), since Irishwomen first exercised their right to vote and to stand for national election, Mairead McGuinness MEP and first Vice-President of the European Parliament posed the question: 'Do women need politics?'
 
She said historically many women got into politics on the death of a husband, the remarkable Mary Reynolds TD being one who represented Sligo-Leitrim between1932-1933 and 1937-1961 whose legacy was recently celebrated.
 
“We shouldn’t diminish those who arrive via that route,” she said. “We shouldn’t focus on the route but celebrate the arrival of women by whatever path.”
 She said there is a lot of discussion about how to encourage young women into politics. “This is important but we should also seek to attract other women of all age groups and backgrounds,  including those whose families may be reared. 
 
“Politics would benefit from that wealth of life experience. Older women have a wealth of life experiences that amount to a valuable asset.
 
“I would suggest this is particularly relevant in politics where influence is brought to bear and decisions made about all citizens and at every stage in their lives.
 
“Politics needs diversity,” she said.   She said while gender quotas help and are critically important, more needs to be done.
 
“Above all else we need to see more clearly how few women there are in public life - sometimes we are blind to that reality, making events like today’s so important. 
 
“We are making progress on issues, like childcare, which may inhibit women from continuing in careers, including politics.
 
“We need to ask why political meetings are still largely male dominated, is it that women don’t see these meetings as relevant to their lives or a valuable use of their time, or that they don’t  belong there or find it hard to speak up for fear of being spoken down to?
 
“We need to understand why political structures continue to mitigate against women’s participation in political life.
 
“Respect for politicians and the work of politics is also necessary,” she said.
 
Today’s conference was hosted by Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD and the Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration, David Stanton TD.

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan today officially opened ‘100 years of Women in Politics  and Public Life 1918–2018’ – a Pop-Up Museum, exploring 100 years of women's participation in politics and public life.
This exhibition shines a spotlight on the stories of very familiar and less well known women, who have contributed significantly to Irish political and public life over the past century – on the challenges they faced and the obstacles they overcame.  
Minister Madigan said: “I’d like you to imagine this for a moment: Only yesterday, 100 years ago, no woman in this room, solely because she was female, was permitted to run for election in this country. As a woman in Ireland, no matter how educated or intelligent, it could not be done. Even if that woman was bursting with ideas and reforming policies, she could not bring them forward. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t contemplate it, it was simply that she was prohibited to do so by law.”
"The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to encourage people of all ages to reflect upon the journey that this country has taken, particularly over the past 100 years. The exhibition, reflecting upon and celebrating all that has been achieved over the past 100 years but with an awareness of the considerable work remaining to be done, will encourage discussion, debate and analysis in ongoing exploration of our history."
Minister Madigan added: “I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Sinéad McCoole for her commitment to this project. I would also like to thank most sincerely the women and their families who shared their personal stories and memories – much of this previously unseen archive material – so generously.”
The exhibition was curated by the historian, Sinéad McCoole, and supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as part of the Decade of Centenaries programme. The exhibition is open at the Coach House in Dublin Castle from today – the 100th anniversary of the historic 1918 general election – until Sunday 3 February 2019 and admission is free. It is also intended that the exhibition will travel to locations in Munster, Ulster and Connaught during 2019.