From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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The Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Alan Dillon T.D., has today (Friday 14 June) announced funding of €182,200 to Women For Election, a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation, working to help achieve full representation of women in Irish politics. The organisation’s work focuses on equipping and supporting women to enter and succeed in political life, as well as raising awareness to reduce the systemic barriers faced by women in the political sphere.
As he announced the funding, Minister Dillon said:
“My Department has worked hand in hand with Women for Election for several years towards a shared vision of more balanced representation at local government level. This year saw a record number of female candidates run for election, and I am delighted my Department can continue to contribute to progress in this area.”
The Local Elections on Friday June 7th represented another step forward in terms of women’s representation in Irish local government, with a record 681 female candidates contesting the election, representing 31% of the overall number of candidates. Current figures also indicate an almost doubling of candidates from a migrant background since 2019, increasing the diversity of our council chambers.
Minister Dillon said:
“Women for Election support potential female candidates through training, capacity building events and mentoring supports, and have helped substantial numbers of women become involved in politics at both national and local level. In this year’s Local Elections, we saw a further increase in women candidates elected, but there is still a way to go before we see balanced gender representation. I firmly believe that the work of organisations like Women for Election is instrumental in continuing to build on the momentum gained by women candidates this year.”
Today’s funding announcement is part of an ongoing programme of Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of women and people of diversity in Irish local government. The Department also runs funding schemes targeting political parties and local authorities, alongside support for local and regional level women’s caucuses.
Concluding, Minister Dillon said:
“In light of the results of the Local Elections last week, it is more important than ever to offer support to women who are interested in entering politics. Through our work with organisations like Women for Election, who will continue to work with both non-elected candidates and newly elected female councillors, we hope to see true equality of representation in our local council chambers in the not-too-distant future.”