Invitation to Tender: ‘Beyond the Dáil’ Follow Up Research

Published: Thursday, December 14, 2023

The National Women's Council invite proposals to carry out research as a follow up to the 2019 publication of “Beyond the Dáil”, funded by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.  This research will focus on women’s experiences in local government since their elections in 2019 and what factors have affected their decision to run again or not in 2023.

In 2019, NWC published ‘Women Beyond the Dáil: More Women in Local Government.’ The research reflected the direct experiences of women candidates from the 2019 local elections and highlighted the systemic and structural barriers which suppress women’s candidacy and representation in local political office.

To achieve a critical mass of women’s representation at local government level, NWC developed a series of recommendations for the Government, political parties, and Local Government including the development of women’s caucuses and networks. 

Much has changed since 2019, including a greater use of technology in our work, and the ability to work from home or closer to home as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Building on the 2019 research, we wish to explore the experiences of women elected to local government and identify the factors informing their decision on whether they choose to run for election again in 2024.

Aims of this research:

•  To understand the enabling and constraining factors shaping women’s experiences as elected representatives at local level.
• To increase knowledge and understanding about women’s decision to continue or forgo participation in local government.
• Make recommendations on how to advance and maintain women’s leadership in local government and establish a pipeline towards national elections, including positive steps to support and encourage women to re-run for elected office in local government.
• Gather and publish evidence on female participation and representation across local government and identify the deterrents to women rerunning for election.

Objectives

• A qualitative assessment of the experiences of women who were elected to local government in 2019, including those who plan to run for election in 2024, and those who do not wish to run again, resulting in an analysis of retention rates.
• To monitor whether recommendations made in Beyond the Dáil 2019 were implemented and if so, what impact, if any they have had in improving the experience of women in local government and those who wish to run for election.
• To offer an evidence base to address outstanding challenges facing women in local government and provide solutions that can better support a diversity of women in elected office at local level including women from a migrant background, disabled women, young women, and women from the Traveller and Roma communities.

Please find the full scope here. 

Proposals should be submitted for the attention of Rachel Coyle, Head of Campaigns & Mobilisation, National Women’s Council of Ireland, rachelc@nwci.ie to arrive no later than 5pm on Monday 15th January 2024.

All information provided to NWCI in response to this request will be treated in strict confidence.