Greens renew call for action on gender imbalance in local government

Green Party Spokesperson for Children and Equality Councillor Lourda Scott has today renewed the party's call for urgent action to address the persistent under representation of women in local politics. This follows a recent resignation from Wicklow County Council, which brings the number of women on the 32 seat Council down to just nine.

“Wicklow County Council now has fewer than one in three seats held by women and it’s going in the wrong direction,” said Cllr Scott. “Since 2022, we have seen the resignation of four female councillors in Wicklow. This is a concern of itself but also not a single one of those seats has been filled by a woman. This is part of a worrying national trend.”

Across the country, just 26% of local authority seats are held by women, despite women making up more than half of Ireland’s population.

“The local authority is the training ground for national politics,” Cllr Scott continued. “It is problematic that women are not only under represented but are also leaving local government in such numbers. We need to ask why so many women are stepping down and critically, why parties are not taking the opportunity to redress the imbalance when vacancies arise.”

This was particularly highlighted after the 2024 general election when 52 Councillors were elected to the 34th Dail compromising twelve women and 42 men. However following the co option process there was just a marginal increase in the number of seats filled by women. 

“Political parties, as the gatekeepers of candidate selection and co-option, have a critical responsibility to lead this change.” Scott continued “It’s not enough to get women elected; we need to be able to keep them at the table. Every time a woman councillor resigns and is replaced by a man, we roll back progress. Co-option must be part of the gender equality conversation. It is well established that more diverse voices around the table lead to better decision-making, however the current system is failing to deliver this. We need a council chamber that reflects the people it serves and that means ensuring women have a fair and equal chance to be elected. Voluntary efforts and goodwill have not delivered gender balance. It’s time for mandatory quotas in local government.”