Lack of maternity leave continues to be a glaringly obvious barrier to women entering politics, according to Social Democrats TD for Cork South West, Holly Cairns.
Holly said:
“Politics is the only business in Ireland that does not provide maternity leave for TDs, Senators and County Councillors.
“Maternity leave is not a perk; it’s not a pay rise – it’s a human right. Female dominated industries are often the undervalued and underpaid ones. But we have to ask – if there were more women at the decision-making table, would this be the case? If there were maternity leave provisions for politicians, would there be more women at these decision-making tables?
“There are 36 female TDs in this Dáil out of 124, which is not something Ireland can be proud of. We can’t scratch our heads after every election and ask why we haven’t achieved greater equality when there is this glaringly obvious barrier for women.
“In the Dáil today, the Taoiseach committed to looking at the issue and I will be pressing for legislative change to be introduced in this area during the lifetime of this Government.”
July 29, 2020