Another chance for gender balance in Oireachtas squandered with Commitee Chair appointments

Women make up just 25% of the Chairs of Oireachtas Committees – a long way short of gender balance.

Political Parties have announced their picks for Chairs of the Oireachtas Committees in the 34th Dáil. Of the 28 Committees, women will chair seven overall, 25% of all Chair positions. Sinn Féin have the highest number and % of women chairing Oireachtas committees, with 4 women TDs as chairs, 43% of Sinn Féin-chaired committees.

“The Committee Chair appointments are another squandered chance to say to the talented, capable women in politics, and to those thinking of entering politics, that their expertise is needed, wanted and that they will have opportunities to lead”, said Aldagh McDonogh, Chair of Women for Election.

“Despite the largest ever number of women elected to the Dáil and Seanad, the number of women appointed as Chairs of Oireachtas Committees falls short of what was needed to begin to redress the gender imbalance in leadership positions within the Oireachtas”.

“Gender equality in politics is not a luxury nor an optional goal. It is a fundamental necessity for a fair and just society, a society that values the contributions of women as equal partners in addressing the nation’s challenges and shaping its future” said McDonogh.

The Chair appointments follow on from the reduction in the number of women in Cabinet and no change in the number of women Ministers of State appointed by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.

“Parties should benchmark themselves against the 40% candidate quota figure in all political appointments. The limited number of women appointed as Oireachtas Committee Chairs demonstrates that much further work is demanded of almost all Political Parties to build towards meaningful representation of women – half of the population – in politics at all levels”, concluded McDonogh.

ENDS

Friday April 25th 2025