No breakthrough for women in General Election 2024

Published: Monday, December 02, 2024

No breakthrough for women in General Election 2024

National Women’s Council calls for Local Election gender quotas 
 to ensure pipeline for women into politics

Press Release, 2^nd December 2024 

 

Responding to the results of the General Election 2024, the National Women’s Counci (NWC) today (2^nd December) said that there is still no breakthrough for women. While the Gender Quota has led to a record number of women candidates (246) and the highest number of women expected to be elected as TDs (projected as up to 44 women TDs, up from 37 in the last Dáil), the overall percentage of women (23% before the election) looks to only increase marginally. NWC is calling on the new Government to prioritise measures to increase the number of women in politics, including the introduction of gender quotas of 40% for local elections. 

 

The General Election 2024 results show some significant successes for women while also highlighting areas where more work is needed to ensure equal representation. 

• Women candidates secured 32% of first preference votes. 
• 8 women topped the poll with Rose Conway Walsh, SF and Mairead Farrell, SF making history as the first women to top the poll in Mayo and Galway West.  
• While 15 of the 43 Constituencies had no women TDs in the outgoing Dáil, this figure is expected to be 14 out of 31 constituencies after this General Election. The 14 constituencies are Donegal, Galway East, Laois, Tipperary North (based on projections), Tipperary South, Limerick City, Limerick County, Cork North West, Cork South Central, Cork North Central (based on projections), Cork East, Wicklow-Wexford, Dublin North West, Dublin South West. 
• The only constituencies with more women than men are Galway West (3/5); Dublin South Central (3/4); Dublin Fingal West (2/3); Carlow-Kilkenny (3/5) 
• Only four women TDs were elected in the whole of Munster, including Holly Cairns, SD – Cork South West; Donna McGettigan – SF, Clare; Mary Butler – FF, Waterford; Norma Foley – FF, Kerry. 

 

Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC said,

“Women make up over 50% of the population and this needs to be reflected in all political decision-making spaces. The General Election 2024 has shown that the Gender Quota is successful in ensuring a record number of women candidates. We commend all of the women who put themselves forward for election and the women’s groups around the country who supported women candidates by demystifying political processes and building women’s confidence. 

However, the results show that in isolation the gender quota will not be enough to achieve equal representation for women. There is evidence that many women were added late to the ticket to make up the gender quota. We are calling on all political parties to ensure women candidates are selected as early as possible to ensure they have sufficient time, support and resources for their election campaign.”

 

Rachel Coyle, Head of Campaigns and Mobilisation, NWC, 

“Local government serves as a crucial pipeline to national politics. By offering women seats through co-options when opportunities arise, political parties can achieve better gender balance, across all levels of government.  This should be an urgent priority, especially for parties that performed poorly in returning more women to the Dáil. Now is the time to adopt proactive strategies to improve gender balance across all levels of representation. The next Government must also prioritise the introduction of a 40% gender quota at local level so we build the crucial pipeline for women from diverse backgrounds to get elected at national level.”