Fianna Fail European election candidate Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick today voiced support for the objectives set out by the National Women’s Council of Ireland that includes the need for a greater commitment to gender equality in Irish political decision making.

Cllr Fitzpatrick today attended a function in Dublin at which the National Women’s Council set out the priorities they want to see addressed by all candidates, male and female, in the European election, including actively promoting women’s rights and gender equality and to make sure that women, in all their diversity, are being heard on issues that matter.

Cllr Fitzpatrick described the requirement that 30% of candidates in the next general election must be female as a cynical attempt by Minister Phil Hogan to create the impression that he and his Government are interested in achieving genuine gender equality.

“The reality is that less than 16% of our elected representatives in the Oireachtas are female”, Cllr Fitzpatrick added. “Women represent 52% of the population but make up just 15% of elected representatives. If Minister Hogan was serious about increasing women’s participation in politics then he should show real initiative and begin the process at local level and bring in temporary seat quotas extending to no more than two terms”.