OPINION: criticism of the appearance of female politicians must be denounced

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Mairead O’Shea, Communications Officer at See Her Elected.

Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021, 10:59 AM

Last update: Wed 15 Sep 2021, 12:27 PM

This article is written by Mairead O’Shea, Communications Officer at See Her Elected, an organization that aims to empower women in rural North West and Midlands constituencies to engage in electoral politics:

An opinion piece in the Irish Mail on Sunday last weekend, which sharply criticized the clothing and appearance of a number of Fianna Fil’s TD women during the party’s national reflection last week, has rightly caused some uproar on social media platforms.

DTs Niamh Smyth, Norma Foley and Mary Butler along with their party colleagues Senators Erin McGreehan and Fiona OLoughlin have been subjected to unacceptable criticism of their clothing and appearance.

See Her Elected recognizes this for what it is – lazy, unprofessional journalism and a deliberately provocative and unnecessary act of the Irish Mail on Sunday. Women are already subjected to a myriad of obstacles to enter politics or engage in politics, without having to put up with this nonsense.

Sadly, the very fact that the story is discussed on national and local airwaves and sparks outrage on Twitter means that, to some extent, this headline grabbing act has worked.

Niamh Walsh’s article in the Irish Mail last Sunday.

Let’s look at some facts. The weekend newspaper market, and in particular the Sunday market, is heavily saturated as a number of print titles are scrambling to position themselves. The Irish Mail on Sunday is battling dominant players such as the Sunday Independent, the Sunday World and the Sunday Times.

According to the latest figures available from the Verified Traffic Bureau (ABC), the circulation of the Irish Mail on Sunday has fallen to around 55,000, which is a 10% drop from the previous year and leaves them at the lags behind others.

With that backdrop, what better way to help boost your traffic numbers than to rock a few cages with a provocative, eye-catching act like last Sunday’s opinion piece?

It is a shame that a much more measured article covering women’s groups calling for political leadership when members or candidates engage in online abuse, and which appeared just 10 pages earlier in the same edition of the same newspaper , received no attention.

Politics can be a toxic space. While public attention is an integral part of the role of politicians, public scrutiny should only apply to their work and conduct, not to the style of their hair or the color of their dress. I’m sure when Mary Butler or Niamh Smyth wake up in the morning, they have more to worry about than whether their pink or orange dress is going to cause a Twitter meltdown.

Women politicians, like their male counterparts, are busy professionals, representing their constituents and doing a myriad of other things. We have to call this type of harassment for what it is. Abuse. Indeed, all politicians and party leaders must defend their colleagues when this type of abuse is committed.

Ireland is ranked 101st in the world for women parliamentarians. Women only represent 22.5% of TDs and 40% of senators. Only four of the 15 cabinet ministers are women.

Of the 949 county councilors in Ireland, only 241, or 25%, are women and this figure is even lower in rural counties than in urban centers in Dublin. The See Her Elected (SHE) program aims to empower more women in rural counties of Longford, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Donegal and Westmeath to engage in electoral politics and also examines barriers to entry for women into Politics.

Like it or hate it, cultural institutions such as the media play an important role in how society views women politicians and this type of sexist article is unnecessary.

We must empower women to enter the political arena, as this will bring more balanced decision-making. Our boardrooms must reflect the society they represent. They need to be more diverse and inclusive, with women from ethnic minorities, women with disabilities and women travelers.

Women’s unique views should not be feared but rather embraced as part of a collective force that can only benefit and improve the political system. Surely that’s what matters more than the (non-existent) pleats in Senator Erin McGreehan’s green dress!

Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021, 10:59 AM

Last update: Wed 15 Sep 2021, 12:27 PM

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