Senát Parlamentu Č eské Republiky Tools to promote balanced representation of women and men in politics: A view from Ireland January 25 th 2016

ABOUT US

Women for Election: who we are? The Vision of Women for Election is an Ireland with balanced participation of women and men in political life The Mission of Women for Election is to inspire and equip women to succeed in political life

What do we do? Training, mentoring, support for women to take them on the next step of their political journey Demystify access into “politics” Build cross party movement of women, nationally and internationally Grass roots and non-partisan approach

We take an inclusive approach to our work. We aim to support women to engage in politics regardless of their:  Political affiliations  Age  Class  Ethnicity  Religion  Sexual Orientation We believe that the support of men is essential for Women for Election to deliver its mission We take a collaborative rather than adversarial approach to working with other organisations, institutions and groups within the political landscape Women for Election will never use its position to promote or stand against any specific political view Our Values

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WHY WE EXIST

Why we exist To provide a practical solution to the problem: 16% of Dáil (27 seats) are women 95 women ever elected to Dáil Eireann 21% women elected at city and county council level

Why we exist Only 15 women ever sat at Cabinet in Ireland Our parliament has never been less than 84% male Progress on bringing women into political has been slow and stunted Of the 4,744 parliament seats filled since the first election in 1918, only 262 (6 per cent) have been occupied by women. 89 th – Ireland’s ranking globally, after North Korea and just ahead of South Korea and Libya (IPU, 2016)

Known Barriers The 5 C’s CANDIDATE SELECTION CULTURE CASH CHILDCARE CONFIDENCE Common Sense….

Why it matters The 4 Ps: Process Priorities Policy Power

SOLUTIONS – IRELAND AS A CASE STUDY

SOLUTIONS Gender Quota’s Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act % quota for political party candidates at general election levels Rises to 40% from 2019 Failure to comply – 50% cut to annual state funding Interacts with political parties Women for Election Training, Mentoring and Support for women National advocacy campaign Cross party network of women interested in politics Introductions between talented women and political parties Interacts with women (women at school, university, community, business levels and political parties)

SOLUTIONS Gender Quota’s Hard measure – Legislative solution Tackles challenges around candidate selection Attempts to interact with systemic issues Acts as a mechanism for change behaviour of political parties Women for Election Softer measure – women focused Tackles challenges that women themselves face Demystifies politics and promotes political engagement Acts as an advocate for societal and cultural change

Women for Election Top line strategic overview A more balanced participation of men and women in political life To inspire and equip women to succeed in politics Lack of a roadmap to initiate political engagement Lack of supportive environment to articulate a political ambition Lack of awareness of the necessary skill-sets Culture that perpetuates male dominated politics Tiered training programme Networking and connecting Communications and advocacy The top line issues at stake: Women for Election’s solution: The barriers: Women for Election’s strategy: More women aspire to a political life Increased numbers of capable women candidates Increased numbers of elected women Outcomes for women in politics: Direct support More robust political and policy decision making Greater social cohesion A more representative democratic system Broader talent pool to innovate and face challenges Increased political participation by women 15

Programmes INSPIRE: Confidence, Campaign Strategy, Communications All parties and Independents Mentoring and coaching Empowerment Masterclasses in “problem areas” Access to Research Media Opportunities Discussion Forum Networking Events Introductions Campaign Services Advocacy EQUIP: Ireland’s FIRST Political Campaign School 3 day intensive residential All parties and Independents INFORM: Tailored workshops (Universities, Community Groups) Entry level political discussion Community Activism <> Government Universities <> Political activism INTERNATIONAL: Working with women from 17 EU States Women for Election AU Launched Jul 2015

Women for Election Our theory of change Growing the movement of women for election Inform Inspire Equip Support for candidate women Support for elected women More women aspire to a political life Increased numbers of capable women candidates Increased numbers of elected women Increased political participation by women Communicating and campaigning on the issues and the need for change Fundraising to bring donors on board as champions and network builders Enabling women in politics to meet, learn from each other and make valuable peer connections Challenge and call out any sexism in politics Specifically highlight research pointing to socio-economic benefits as a result of increased female representation Recognise relevance of politics to participants’ lives Encourage participants to influence their political system Understand the realities, requirements and challenges of political life Commitment to engage in the political system Enable participants to define and nurture their political ambitions Participants learn the tools and techniques to run an effective election campaign and maximise their winning potential Strong advocacy campaign with extensive media support for all candidates Enable elected women to access coaching and job-relevant supports Prepare newly elected representatives to succeed in their role Enlarge national and international networks of elected women 17

Women for Election Our theory of change As indicated earlier, our emphasis on individual parts of our pipeline will change depending on whether we are operating in election or non-election year. The two diagrams below illustrate and discuss this differing emphasis: Strategic emphasis during a NON-ELECTION year Strategic emphasis during an ELECTION year Emphasis on our Inform-Inspire-Equip suite of direct support programmes Reaching 850 women through Inform Reaching 350 women through Inspire Reaching 75 women through Equip Little if any work in relation to candidate women Our work for elected women will be remain at a reduced level in non-election years Our programmatic offerings will be scaled down to a lower level compared to a non-election year In a election year we expect to maintain Inform sessions at 50% and Inspire sessions at 25% of the non-election year levels. Equip will run at the same levels as a non-election year, i.e. 1 programme per year Major emphasis on and advocacy and communications based programme of work to promote ALL women candidates during an election year 2016, 2017, 2018 (see Appendix for details) 2014, 2015 (see Appendix for details) Growing the movement of women for election is independent of electoral cycle Our work for elected women will peak during the immediate post election period 18

The story so far… Local Elections women have completed WFE core programmes in Ireland & EU 190 of those contested local or EU elections in Ireland 30% increase in numbers of women running at 2014 Local Elections versus 2009 Of 949 local government seats, 194 women were elected. This is a 33% jump since 2009 figures of 148 and female representation at Local Government is now 21%, up from 16% in 2009 At a European level, for the first time, there are more women representatives. 6 of the 11 Members of the European Parliament from Ireland are women with 2 of the 3 new female MEP’s having come through a Women for Election programme. 50% of women elected at local level have been trained by Women for Election

The story so far… General Election female candidates running so far. 30.5% of candidates are female 2011 GE: 86 female candidates ran representing 15% of overall candidate numbers All of larger parties are running over 30% female candidates 85% female candidates from larger parties have already run at some level All constituencies bar 1 have a woman – the most ever 26 of 40 constituencies have over 30% female tickets Independent female candidates has doubled (from 12% to 25%)

What has changed… Political Parties actions Forced to select women and they do Discourse Constituents actively recognising value of women in politics Women’s engagement Seeing opportunities Media Coverage Interesting stories More female voices on air Women for Election Identified training needs specific to national elections Engaged at some level with all female candidates Training and networking Advocate on behalf of female candidates – in particular around controversial selections We have become to “go-to” organisation for media on this topic

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Women for Election: What do we do?