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Ireland's political and cultural magazine
VILLAGEApril/May
OPINION IVANA BACIK
I
N March, Irish society sadly lost one of its most illus-
trious figures in public life – Christine Buckley. I had
the privilege of knowing Christine and had enor-
mous admiration, respect and love for her. I attended
her funeral and found it deeply moving to hear her sons
speak of their love for her and her central role in their
lives, and to see the massive attendance at the funeral -
so many people, all of whom had been inspired by her.
The outpouring of tributes to her suggests that her work
in speaking out for the survivors of abuse in industrial
schools and residential care has transformed Irish soci-
ety for the better. It has made us face up to all sorts of
unpalatable truths.
Christine Buckley was an important role model for
Irish society. Her work in championing principled and
progressive causes was not always popular. But her
advocacy changed the political culture and our national
understanding of child sexual abuse and institutional
care. Role models like Christine are essential in seeking
to achieve cultural change.
The importance of role models for women in public
life is highlighted in a recent report from the National
Women’s Council of Ireland, ‘A Parliament of All Talents
– building a women-friendly Oireachtas’. This calls for
fundamental change to the culture within politics gen-
erally, and in Leinster House in particular – the laddish
culture, in which individual politicians are subjected to
disrespectful language, aggressive heckling and ver-
bal barracking.
The cultural barriers dissuading women from enter-
ing political life have been well-documented. But these
cultural barriers do not disappear when women are
elected to parliament. Sexist cultures within parliaments
can inhibit women from entering politics. In , the
International Inter Parliamentary Union produced
a report on ‘Gender-Sensitive Parliaments’. This too
argued for the need to make systematic changes in the
way that parliaments are run to ensure greater inclusiv-
ity of women, and to address the institutional practices
which operate to exclude women.
Recent incidents illustrate the prevalence of this
macho culture in the Oireachtas. These include the
inappropriate Facebookings of Patrick Nulty who has
recently resigned as a TD; and the notorious ‘lapgate’
incident and debates in the Seanad on the Protection
of Life During Pregnancy Bill, both in July . The
debates were dominated by the use of inappropriate and
insensitive language from a small number of Senators
opposed to the legislation.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland report rec-
ommends the introduction of family-friendly policies like
maternity and paternity leave; a % gender quota for
Cabinet appointments; a gender audit of the Oireachtas;
a code of conduct for respectful behaviour; gender-sen-
sitivity training; and the promotion of solidarity among
women politicians through the establishment of a wom-
en’s caucus with an independent secretariat.
These are important recommendations and
they could change the culture significantly
within Leinster House. Currently, long hours
and heavy commitments in political life make it very
difficult for both women and men to combine a political
career with a young family. I know
this from my own experience as a
mother of young children.
However, the real problem is
lack of predictability. Childcare
and family arrangements can
be put in place, once we know in
advance when the late sittings will
take place and when the heaviest
demands will be made during each
month. Parliamentary procedures
should be adopted in which sitting
times and dates are fixed well in
advance and adhered to with-
out any unexpected last-minute
changes. In this way members
with commitments can arrange
their childcare and home or fam-
ily lives.
A code or protocol should be
adopted for all members on the use of language in the
parliamentary chamber. This should be coupled with
sanctions for those who engage
in disrespectful behaviour or sex-
ist heckling. Changes like these
would go a long way to chang-
ing the culture that exists in
Leinster house and would make
our national parliament a better place for all.
However, it is evident from the very low numbers of
women candidates in the local elections that changes to
work practices in Leinster House will not be enough to
encourage more women into politics. Role models are
essential to change the culture. This means we need more
Christine Buckleys: powerful and principled individu-
als whose work reminds us of the power that individuals
have, to change cultures and improve lives. •
Christine
Buckley
Champions needed
Strong,
principled
women like
Christine
Buckley are
essential for
cultural change
Ivana Bacik (Labour)
is deputy leader of
the Seanad and Reid
Professor of Law at
Trinity College, Dublin.
NWCI
recommends
a 40% gender
quota for
Cabinet;
maternity
and paternity
leave; and an
Oireachtas
gender audit
“
