Doing politics differently: the establishment of cross-party caucuses by women councillors in Irish local government

ABSTRACT

This article examines the development of caucuses by women councillors in Irish local government in the wake of the 2017 launch of a caucus for women members of the Oireachtas. The multi-method research offers a rich, gendered assessment of the factors which enable and constrain the establishment and operations of caucuses for women councillors and it places a particular focus on the first local caucuses established in the country (Limerick City and County [2019] and Dublin City [2020]). Local government in Ireland provides a unique opportunity to support such an investigation as partisanship is less significant there than it is at the national level. The research illuminates the circumstances under which we can expect locally elected women of different parties and ideologies to come together in order to cooperate. Enabling circumstances include a high level of interest and gender consciousness among women councillors – with new women identified as key players – and the presence of a caucus entrepreneur and a dedicated secretariat. Importantly, the study demonstrates how geographical differences in women’s representation impact on caucuses and posits that caucus structures are not necessarily feminist or intersectional spaces. The article makes an important contribution to global research in this area which tends to focus on caucuses in national parliaments.

KEYWORDS:

• Women in politics
• caucuses
• local government
• Irish politics
• substantive representation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Oireachtas is the legislature of Ireland.

2 Figure calculated by the author from web searches and anecdotal information.

3 Vacated council seats are filled by co-option rather than by-elections.

4 The 31 local councils have between 18 and 63 seats.

5 Each council is divided into Local Electoral Areas (LEAs).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Claire McGing

Claire McGing is a member of the senior management team at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), where she has strategic oversight of equality, diversity and inclusion. She has published extensive research on gender politics and electoral politics in Ireland.