A record number of women have taken up top leadership roles in Ireland’s City and County Councils following this year’s local authority elections, with progress being seen in Dublin, Kildare, and Meath.
Dublin City was the only local authority in the country to have an all-women leadership team in the previous term, and this year Pamela Kearns has been elected Cathaoirleach of South Dublin County Council, signalling continued momentum for gender representation in the capital.
Kildare and Meath have also made gains, with Carmel Kelly elected Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council and Caroline O’Reilly named Deputy Cathaoirleach in Meath. Kildare joins Wicklow and Kilkenny in having an all-female leadership team for the coming year.
In total, seven women have been elected as Mayor or Cathaoirleach, and ten women have secured the Deputy positions across Ireland’s 31 local authorities that's up from just four and seven respectively in the previous year.
Brian Sheehan, CEO of advocacy group Women for Election, welcomed the news but cautioned that Ireland still lags behind much of the EU in gender balance at local level:
“More women at the top of decision-making tables makes politics work better for everyone. But with women making up just 27% of all councillors, we need greater commitment from political parties to improve this imbalance.”
Sheehan also stressed the importance of visibility:
“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it. These women leaders are not only serving their communities, they are inspiring the next generation.”
Despite the encouraging signs, Ireland still ranks 23rd out of 27 EU countries in female representation at local government level.
