Gender Quotas and Female Political Representation in the Republic of Ireland
Keywords:
Irish Political Studies, Irish Politics, Gender Quotas, Parliamentary Representation, Women's Political Representation, Gender StudiesAbstract
In 2012, the Irish Government introduced gender quotas into the lower house of parliament – the Dáil – in order to address the acute problem of female political underrepresentation. This paper examines the effectiveness of this measure. It finds that gender quotas in Ireland have been particularly successful in eroding the masculinised political culture in Irish politics. In terms of an increased focus on women’s issues, it is at present too soon to ascertain the effects of the new gender balance in the Dáil. However, taking erosion of masculine cultural legacies as an end in itself, as well as a means to other ends, it is submitted that gender quotas are having a positive impact on Irish policies and should be complemented by other mechanisms in order to achieve the goal of gender equal political representation.
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