A public appeal is being made to help identify and encourage women to run in next year’s local elections.
With 76% of councillors elected in 2019 being men, a group called Women for Election says there is a real opportunity for change over the coming 12 months and they are running a national campaign to get more women elected.
Recent national research undertaken by Amárach on behalf of Women for Election indicates that one third of the population is likely to know a female relative whom they would consider for politics.
The #CountHerIn campaign encourages people across Ireland to encourage women in their family, community and workplace to get involved in politics and to consider running for election or taking the next step towards being a public representative.
The #CountHerIn campaign was first launched on February 4th 2022 to honour the birthday of Countess Constance Markievicz, one of Ireland’s most prolific feminist voices from the 20th century and who was the first woman ever elected to the British House of commons.
The campaign is being scaled up in 2023 to attract a lot more women into politics in advance of the local elections in 2024.
“Women for Election’s vision is an Ireland with full participation by women in Irish politics” said CEO Caitriona Gleeson.
“With just 24% female councillors elected in the last local elections, a lot more women need to be selected into winnable seats in the 2024 elections.
“We want to see 1,000 women on the ticket in the 2024 local elections. We want these women to reflect the diversity of women in Irish society and we want to see all parties putting meaningful supports behind these women to help them to succeed and enter political life.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said “When we fail to provide equal opportunities and access for women into politics, we miss out on a truly representative democracy.
“We limit our economic, cultural and political progress. We perpetuate outdated stereotypes and prejudices that hold us all back. That is why I am supporting Women for Election and their Count Her in campaign, and I look forward to seeing more women come forward to contest the local elections in 2024.”
Caitriona Gleeson continued: “It is very important to have the support of An Taoiseach and other leaders of political parties.
“We are really eager to get as much momentum behind female candidates heading into 2024. It is important as many women as possible are given the opportunity to run.
“We know, from research, women tend to need to be asked and encouraged to run more than male counterparts. That’s why we’re asking people to look around their kitchen table, their community halls and workplaces and ask themselves would they run?
” CountHerIn is a campaign to encourage women to put themselves forward and for people to nudge others to go for it”
Women for Election is a non-partisan non-governmental organisation which is working to achieve full representation of a diversity of women in Irish politics. Women for Election inspires, equips and supports women to enter and succeed in Irish politics. www.womenforelection.ie
