The recruitment of women to local politics in Ireland: A case study

Abstract

The factors influencing women's participation in electoral politics at local level in the Fine Gael party in Dublin are examined. The women questioned in a survey placed great stress on the important role of party officers both in influencing their decision to run and in helping determine whether a woman was successful at the selection and election stages. Although finance and family commitments were major concerns for a number of women, the study found no evidence to suggest that childcare poses an insurmountable problem for aspiring female politicians. There was limited evidence to support the contention that women have, on the whole, a different political style from men ‐ essentially of a more ‘grassroots’ nature. It would also appear that, when it comes to election campaigning, women can counteract what seems to be a more ‘cliquey’ political style on the part of men by making the most of their actual experience of local issues.

Notes

I would like to thank Bob Miller for his comments on this article and Liam O'Dowd for his help with the initial research, but neither is responsible for the analysis and interpretations I have used in this article.