Green Party councillor resigns over lack of maternity supports on International Women’s Day
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A Green Party Councillor, who recently gave birth, is resigning on International Women's Day, citing the lack of maternity leave for elected representatives as a serious obstacle to women in politics.
Clare O’Byrne, Green Party Councillor for South County Dublin Council, said she has come to realise “the impossibility” of balancing her role as a new mother with that of a councillor.
“The unavailability of maternity leave for elected representatives is a serious obstacle that prevents women from running for and remaining in office,” she said.
"Things need to change, not only for my daughter or the next generation of women in politics, but this generation."
A global survey of parliaments in 2011 found that in 62% of cases, maternity leave provisions for women parliamentarians were the same as those prescribed by national law with 12% adopting their own formal policies.
Just 26% had no special provisions - including Ireland.
Speaking on Newstalk, the South Dublin County Councillor said it is “embarrassing” for the country that there is a scramble to find a solution to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee taking maternity leave in May.
Ms McEntee is to become the first Cabinet minister to give birth while in office and intends on taking six months’ maternity leave.
Ms O'Byrne said she is hopeful that any solution applied to Minister McEntee can be a template for others.
"She might be the woman that finds a solution to this,” she said, adding that she thinks it’s “great” that Minister McEntee is taking six months maternity leave.
"But I hope that it's not just a temporary solution, I hope that it's there for women in the future and I hope that it does trickle down to local level".
In a statement, the Green Party said it is “determined to explore means of addressing these issues through electoral reform, reform of local government and engagement with women’s advocacy organisations.”
Minister of State for Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said that an opportunity existed within the recently published Electoral Reform Bill to address issues of women’s participation in politics via the proposed electoral commission.
"We can and must do better; we need to engage in a participative process with women in politics to establish what changes are needed in terms of childcare, hours of meetings and moving the role of the elected member more towards strategic bigger-picture policymaking and away from the current clientelist system.”
“It is a loss to politics, to community representation and to local government to lose a councillor of the calibre of Clare O’Byrne. It is happening all too often and will continue unless fundamental changes are brought about."
Yesterday, former justice minister Nora Owen said she believes Helen McEntee will face criticism from the public for taking leave to care for her baby.