FORMER Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan believes that a blended working environment would help women who are struggling to balance family life and the long-distance demands of their jobs to consider a career as an elected representative.
The former Labour Party TD, who represented the Limerick City and Limerick East Constituencies for 22 years, said while much progress has been made in the area of equality for women, there is still a long way to go to encourage women to run for office and even for women to feel safe and not targets of abuse and physical violence.
“From my experience, the unsociable hours and the requirement to be away from home three days a week are a major barrier, especially for women with young children”, Ms O’Sullivan wrote in an article for the journal.ie online news site.
“I vividly remember a fellow TD being really distressed because she was missing her child’s school play and having to weigh up whether to drive the three-hour journey home and back to support her daughter or stay in her Dáil office in case a vote was called.
“There is no reason the blended model of working, partly at home, partly in the office couldn’t apply to TDs as well as other jobs.”
Ms O’Sullivan said there are other most basic pressures which discourage women from getting involved in the cut and thrust of police, including the abuse and hatred that TDs are subjected to on social media platforms and sometimes in person.
“The recent horrific killing of Ashling Murphy touched a deep chord with Irish people and many articles and opinion pieces have grappled with what it is in Irish society that makes so many women feel that their lives are limited and their freedom curtailed simply because they are women.
“In a Dáil debate following Ashling’s death, women deputies from across the political spectrum eloquently and honestly described the abuse hurled at them via email and social media as well as actual physical threats.
“If this is not addressed, women will become more reluctant to put themselves in the firing line despite wanting to make a difference and to make their voices heard,” she added.
