The implementation of gender quotas Presentation to the IBIS, UCD Conference ‘Women in Leadership North and South’ 6 July 2015 Fiona Buckley Department of Government University College Cork Department of Government, University College Cork

Gender quotas: from adoption to implementation Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act, 2012 –Payments calculated in accordance with this Part shall be reduced by 50 per cent, unless at least 30 per cent of the candidates whose candidatures were authenticated by the qualified party at the preceding general election were women and at least 30 per cent were men. Raises to 40% seven years after the next general election Who receives funding under the Electoral Act,1997? –In order to qualify for funding under the Electoral Acts, a political party must be included in the Register of Political Parties and must have obtained at least 2% of the first preference votes at the last Dáil general election (SIPO, 2015). Reduction in Dáil seats from 166 to 158 –Number of constituencies reduced from 43 to 40 Department of Government, University College Cork

% female and male candidates (4 July 2015) Department of Government, University College Cork

% female and male candidates (4 July 2015) Department of Government, University College Cork

% women candidates, 2011; 2015 Feb 2011July 2015Number of candidate selections completed Women Candidates (%) Fine Gael of 40 conventions completed Fianna Fáil of 40 conventions completed Labour of 40 conventions completed Sinn Féin of 40 conventions completed Independents/Others Total Department of Government, University College Cork

Selection Conventions 94 selection conventions held to-date; 33 contested selection conventions –18 contested Fianna Fail conventions 46 men (75.4%); 15 women (24.6%) 23 men selected ; 6 women selected Add-ons: 2 men; 1 woman –8 contested Fine Gael selection convention 29 men (63%); 17 women (27%) 21 men selected; 13 women selected Add-on: 1 man added –7 contested Sinn Fein selection conventions 31 men (64.6%); 17 women (35.4%) 27 men selected; 14 women selected Add-ons: 2 women added –0 contested Labour selection conventions 11 men; 7 women 11 men selected; 7 women selected 51 candidates have been unsuccessful across the 33 contested selection conventions, 16 women (31.4%) and 35 men (68.6%). –Only one unsuccessful candidates was a sitting TD – Richard Bruton in Dublin Bay North Added on Department of Government, University College Cork

Observations (I) Tensions between central (HQ) party and local party -‘Twas ever thus! -Centralisation v localism Directives from HQ dictating: -(i) the number of candidates to be selected, (ii) gender (1 candidate strategy, 2 candidate strategy, etc) Local party: -(i) Maintaining intra-party democracy, (ii) geography, (iii) numerical candidate strategies -Strategic convention behaviour – FG Dublin Bay North Institutional layering formal gender requirement; informal geographical requirements; candidate strategy numbers Gender quotas – seen as centralised involvement in local party democratic decision-making But gender quotas a process of institutional layering exposing the gendered nature of intra-party democracy? Challenging male dominance of (entitlement to?) candidacy Department of Government, University College Cork

Observations (II) Narratives –Displaced male But geography often a factor –Quota women –Surprise! –Diversity is good The extent of women’s candidacy – a test of a party’s progressiveness and change –Fianna Fáil The discourse around quotas & women in politics has encouraged party women to speak up and speak out about their experiences in politics The discourse around quotas & women in politics having an impact on the number of women running as independents –Diffusion/contagion effect? Gender quota requirement will be met but –Will informal and gendered institutional legacies - a challenge to effective implementation? Department of Government, University College Cork