Skip to content
Support Us

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

RollingNews.ie/PA

'Progress is painfully slow': Criticism of Cabinet line-up with just four female ministers

The National Women’s Council said the low number is a consequence of a failure to run enough women on electable seats.

THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S Council of Ireland (NWCI) has expressed disappointment at the low number of women in the new Cabinet.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin this evening announced his ministerial line-up, with female politicians taking up just four of the 14 senior positions:

  • Helen McEntee – Minister for Justice
  • Norma Foley – Minister for Education
  • Heather Humphreys – Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands
  • Catherine Martin – Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht

Hildegarde Naughten will be super-junior minister for international transport and logistics at the Department of Climate Action. And Pippa Hackett will be super-junior minister with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture. 

Although they are not technically Cabinet positions, the ‘super-junior’ status means  they will still attend Cabinet meetings. 

The NWCI said the low number of women in the Cabinet is a direct consequence of the two main political parties “failing to run a sufficient number of women on electable seats” during the last election.

Orla O’Connor, director of NWCI said: “Four women do not even meet the current quota of 30% where we can begin to address gender balance, let alone the desired 50/50 split that has been achieved in many other countries across the world.”

She said it will be crucial now that all ministers promote women’s equality over the next Dáil term.

“The decisions they make in both appointments to senior decision-making bodies and the policies they implement must show a renewed commitment to advancing women’s rights.

Women cannot afford to wait for equality. With just 30.6% of elected Senators being women and only 22.5% women in the Dáil, progress to date has been shamefully slow. Women also remain severely underrepresented at local level.

O’Connor pointed out that councillors are often the pool of people that parties recruit from for their general election candidates and called on the government to pass legislation for a gender quota for the next local election in 2023. 

She also called on the government to increase support for initiatives “that support women to run for political office at all levels.”.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
112 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fenster
    Favourite Fenster
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 6:49 AM

    Another new hotel in Dublin, fantastic, tourists can enjoy the city filled with tourists and other hotels, I hope they design comfortable doorways so maybe some Irish people can get a night’s rest too

    183
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane Corry
    Favourite Shane Corry
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 10:35 AM

    @Fenster: Abbey Street is set to become a big area for hotels / tourists, there’s a further 3 hotels and one hostel with planning on Abbey street, 3 near Jervis and 1 near the Four Courts.

    33
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Philip Morgan
    Favourite Philip Morgan
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 11:53 AM

    @Fenster: Yea the tax intake from more tourists visiting the city will add to the public coffers so when the next crash comes it wont hit as bad. Ita great to see one of our industries is growing and is not dependant on Irish people getting credit to finance it.

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patabake Kennedy
    Favourite Patabake Kennedy
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 8:30 AM

    There’s more than a few ungainly sights around the Ha’penny Bridge.

    96
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Cunningham
    Favourite Dave Cunningham
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 10:23 AM

    Good to see a complaint from An Taisce be rejected for a change. If they were around in the 17 & 1800s they likely would have objected to the very buildings that they now claim to be part of our heritage! Blockers to progress.

    83
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anton Dec
    Favourite Anton Dec
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 1:54 PM

    @Dave Cunningham:
    Google Wide Street Commission instead of wasting time posting here.

    Good lad.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Fehily
    Favourite Michael Fehily
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 5:38 PM

    @Dave Cunningham: The Pinkos in an Taisce will appeal to Bord Pleanala and it will definitely be refused as usual.

    3
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anton Dec
    Favourite Anton Dec
    Report
    Jul 9th 2018, 2:00 AM

    @Michael Fehily:
    Most likely because you are a gargantuan tool.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Molehead
    Favourite Molehead
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 9:21 AM

    Great place for a cheap hotel. The options around D1 all run at €200+ for a Saturday night so this sounds great! Also, that corner of Abbey street is scaldy and really takes away from the impressive entrance to Arnotts a few doors up.

    65
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anne
    Favourite Anne
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 8:15 AM

    Used this hotel a few times in Germany. Good value hotel with a nice design and its comfortable with good service. I wonder will it be more expensive here? Ive used it in Munich and Berlin for about 80 eur a night. Few years back.

    58
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ktsiwot
    Favourite ktsiwot
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 10:34 AM

    @Anne: Yes you can bet it will be a lot more expensive here

    47
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bob Beal
    Favourite Bob Beal
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 9:42 AM

    Maybe they could bring a major German street cleaning crew with them ….state of Dublin City centre at the moment is cringe worthy …. if I was a tourist coming here I’d think the Irish are filthy,not a good message to be sending them home with :-(

    90
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Power
    Favourite Jonathan Power
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 11:09 AM

    @Bob Beal: I totally agree Bob man. I was passing through early one morning last year walking down O Connell Street and the stink of urine, alcohol and cheap perfume was absolutely retched. I thought crikey what do tourists think.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bhiniáimin Ó Beith
    Favourite Bhiniáimin Ó Beith
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 11:06 AM

    Just look at the state of abbey street site how can you object?

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerry Fallon
    Favourite Gerry Fallon
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 11:21 AM

    Great news. Hurry up Noel.That area needs tidying up quickly.

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute madabot
    Favourite madabot
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 9:26 AM

    This will be appealed to an bord planeala I’d say so won’t be built anytime soon

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anton Dec
    Favourite Anton Dec
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 1:37 PM

    @madabot:
    I hope so. It’s absolutely hideous. I definitely agree that something should be built there but not nine stories high and not with complete disregard for the buildings around it and the streets that it’s on.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P.J. Nolan
    Favourite P.J. Nolan
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 6:20 PM

    @Anton Dec:
    You are right there, nine stories is way too low! They should knock all the buildings and bring them up to line.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute windbag
    Favourite windbag
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 12:25 PM

    IMO Dublin could do with another 20 -30 hotels…. demand is definitely there..

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Fehily
    Favourite Michael Fehily
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 5:36 PM

    It would be a great addition to what is currently a very run down area of Tge North Central Dublin district .
    Unfortunately the pinkos in An Taisce and Bord Pleanala will refuse it because of height and bulk …

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cranky
    Favourite Cranky
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 9:14 PM

    Imagine waking up after a night out in town going out after your breakfast on to Abbey St and O Connell st – zombie land with drug dealers on every corner.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Fehily
    Favourite Michael Fehily
    Report
    Jul 8th 2018, 11:30 PM

    @Cranky: Blah blah…. Waffle

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary Kearney
    Favourite Gary Kearney
    Report
    Jul 9th 2018, 1:31 AM

    @Michael Fehily: He is right and anybody who walks around the area on a regular basis could tell you ,

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Geoghegan
    Favourite John Geoghegan
    Report
    Nov 22nd 2018, 6:43 PM

    Old Dublin is slowly going, Moore Street has being ruined….

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a comment

 
cancel reply
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds