COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 08, 2021

MOTION NO. 5

MOTION: Councillor E. Murphy

That South Dublin County Council recognises and supports the formal establishment of a Women's Caucus for elected members of this Council.

REPORT:

South Dublin County Council currently has a gender balance of 40 / 60% female / male councillors which is significantly higher than the gender balance achieved nationally in the 2019 local elections of only 24%, and the EU28 average of 32% in local politics.

The executive has been working to directly promote female participation in politics through the successful submission of funding for the making of a video promoting female political participation in 2020, in which all of the female councillors were invited to participate, and have again been successful in receiving further funding for a research project in 2021.

The National Women’s Council of Ireland published a report in November 2019 titled ‘Women Beyond the Dáil: More Women in Local Government’ which contains a number of recommendations to support greater female participation, including that national government should ‘Support the development of regional and local women’s caucuses to support women councillors’. No information on the consideration of any such government support is available at the time of writing this report

A Women’s Parliamentary Caucus was established in 2017 to ‘bring together women members of the Oireachtas from all parties and none’, and where the membership is agreed as ‘Every current and previous woman member of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann will be a member of the Women’s Caucus unless she opts out.’ 

Limerick City and County Council have also formally supported a Women’s Caucus, and if the motion is passed a similarly strong public message of support for female participation in politics will also be sent by this local authority.