Environment Minister ‘Big Phil’ Hogan wants more women TDs. As his Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding Bill 2011 winds its way through the Oireachtas, ‘Big Phil’ envisages that 30% of the candidates selected to contest the next general election un Ireland by the political parties who obtain State funding (Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin) will have to be females. That pot of gold is worth €27.28 million over the next five years. Failure to comply will eliminate the party concerned from any State funding throughout the life of the 32nd Dáil which must take office by February 2015.
The population of Ireland is forecast to increase to 5.69 million by 2026, a mere 14 years ahead. Currently, each TD represents, on average 26,873 voters. If this ratio were to maintained the Dáil would comprise 211 TD’s in 2026 and Big Phil envisages that 30%, or 63 of them would be women. This will mean that up to 250 female candidates will have to contest the general election that creates the 34th Dáil.
As the table below shows, ten constituencies account for 45% of the total votes cast for women in 2011 and for 12 of the 25 female TDs.
A female candidate had a 2/1 chance of being elected in Dublin in the 2011 general election but the chances of a female candidate succeeding in the Border, Midland & West Region, or the Mid-West was significantly less.
There are currently 25 females TDs (15%) among the 166 that populate the 31st Dáil. There were 85 female candidates (15%) among the 566 that contested the 2011 general election. These garnered 335,532 (15%) of the total poll of 2,230,359 votes cast. Three constituencies, Cork South-West, Kildare South and Limerick did not field a single female candidate. The following is the voting record of women candidates’ in 2011 when women achieved 20%, or more of the votes cast. Interestingly, the female vote in Galway W was 22% – but not enough to win a seat, while five female TDs won seats with significantly less than a quota.
The 25 female TDs won 178,975 first preference votes – 53% of all votes cast for women. They spent €354.333 on their campaigns – equivalent to an average of €1.98 per vote
The State has provided taxpayers’ funding of over €90million to political parties in the decade to 2010 – but less than €900,000 was spent on promoting the cause of women in elected politics. A massive cultural change will be necessary to achieve Big Phil’s dream if it is not to descend to the farce that has befallen the Household Charge and the Septic Tank Charge.
| Constituency | Total Votes | Female TDs / Female Candidates’ Votes | Female Votes % Total Votes |
| Carlow-Kilkenny | 73,743 | (1) 18,647 | 25% |
| Cavan-Monaghan | 71,275 | (1) 21,253 | 30% |
| Clare | 57,916 | 1,099 | 2% |
| Cork E | 56,933 | (1) 6,802 | 12% |
| Cork NC | 52,137 | (1) 7,676 | 15% |
| Cork NW | 45,740 | (1) 9,436 | 21% |
| Cork SC | 64,040 | 9,038 | 14% |
| Cork SW | 45,658 | 0 | 0 |
| Donegal NE | 37,918 | 1,150 | 3% |
| Donegal SW | 43,263 | 5,211 | 12% |
| Dublin C | 34,612 | (2) 15,583 | 45% |
| Dublin MW | 42,722 | (2) 14,776 | 35% |
| Dublin N | 49,347 | (1) 7,513 | 15% |
| Dublin NC | 38,774 | 2,641 | 7% |
| Dublin NE | 41,839 | 4,794 | 11% |
| Dublin NW | 32,811 | (1) 9,359 | 29% |
| Dublin S | 72,646 | (1) 19,948 | 27% |
| Dublin SC | 50,927 | (2) 12,178 | 24% |
| Dublin SE | 34,919 | (1) 7,248 | 21% |
| Dublin SW | 45,964 | 3,678 | 8% |
| Dublin W | 42,472 | (1) 9,627 | 23% |
| Dun Laoghaire | 56,676 | (1) 19,926 | 35% |
| Galway E | 59,276 | 7,755 | 13% |
| Galway W | 60,625 | 13,418 | 22% |
| Kerry N- W Limerick | 45,614 | 2,161 | 5% |
| Kerry S | 44,380 | 5,327 | 12% |
| Kildare N | 51,222 | (1) 11,688 | 23% |
| Kildare S | 38,270 | 0 | 0 |
| Laois-Offaly | 74,158 | (1) 5,817 | 8% |
| Limerick | 45,041 | 0 | 0 |
| Limerick City | 43,188 | (1) 6,843 | 16% |
| Longford-W’meath | 57,525 | (1) 3,555 | 7% |
| Louth | 69,319 | 4,546 | 7% |
| Mayo | 74,154 | (1)17,215 | 23% |
| Meath E | 42,752 | (1) 9,845 | 23% |
| Meath W | 40,178 | 9,809 | 24% |
| Roscommon-S Leitrim | 47,504 | 0 | 0 |
| Sligo-N Leitrim | 44,428 | 5,672 | 13% |
| Tipperary N | 48,273 | 8,709 | 18% |
| Tipperary S | 41,361 | 4,525 | 11% |
| Waterford | 53,720 | (1) 5,554 | 10% |
| Wexford | 75,539 | 175 | 0% |
| Wicklow | 70,500 | (1) 5,436 | 8% |
| TDs, | Votes | Party | Spend/Vote |
| Mitchell, O | 9,635 | FG | €1.59 |
| Burton, J | 9,627 | Lab | €2.27 |
| Shorthall, R | 9,359 | Lab | €1.17 |
| Mitchell-O’Connor, M | 9,087 | FG | €1.91 |
| Mulherin, M | 8,851 | FG | €1.67 |
| Doherty, R | 8,677 | FG | €1.73 |
| Humphreys, H | 8,144 | FG | €1.32 |
| Phelan, A | 8,072 | Lab | €2.55 |
| Lynch, K | 7,896 | Lab | €1.94 |
| Collins, A | 7,884 | FG | €1.50 |
| Daly, C | 7,513 | S | €0.85 |
| Tuffy, J | 7,495 | Lab | €1.92 |
| Fitzgerald, F | 7,281 | FG | €2.11 |
| Murphy, C | 6,911 | Ind | €2.61 |
| Creighton, L | 6,619 | FG | €2.61 |
| Collins, J | 6,574 | PBPA | €1.64 |
| O’Sullivan, J | 6.353 | Lab | €2.47 |
| McLellan, S | 6,292 | SF | €1.44 |
| McFadden, N | 6,129 | FG | €1.66 |
| Corcoran-Kennedy, M | 5,817 | FG | €2.62 |
| Byrne, C | 5,604 | FG | €1.82 |
| Conway, C | 5,554 | Lab | €2.30 |
| Ferris, A | 5,436 | Lab | €2.67 |
| McDonald, ML | 4,526 | SF | €4.52 |
| O’Sullivan, M | 4,139 | Ind | €2.69 |
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