Over €171,000 in funding has been announced today (Thursday, October 10) an initiative to support the participation of women from rural areas in local politics.
The See Her Elected (SHE) programme was formed in 2019 due to concern at the under-representation of women in the county councils of the northwest and midlands region.
SHE is a joint initiative between Longford Women’s Link, a social enterprise working to ensure women in Longford can fulfil their potential, and 50:50 North West who advocate for equal representation for men and women in Irish politics, particularly in the northwest region.
The SHE programme is based on the ethos of women learning and supporting each other, providing them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to participate in local politics.
Due to the popularity of the programme and a larger catchment audience through online delivery, the programme has now expanded their reach to all of rural Ireland, collaborating with local authorities across the country.
The programme is fully funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Women
Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Alan Dillon said that the outcome of the local elections in June was “encouraging in terms of the participation of women in local government”
“A record 681 female candidates participated, representing an almost 18% increase on the previous elections in 2019, and almost a third candidates overall.
“The 247 women councillors elected make up 26% of councillors overall – the highest proportion of women elected to local government in the history of the state.
“There is, however, still plenty of work to be done towards our goal of making our council chambers fully reflective of the communities they serve. Groups like See Her Elected are essential to making that goal a reality,” he said.
Minister Dillon said that See Her Elected, which is 100% funded through his department, “has become a key partner in our efforts to promote the participation of women from all walks of life in local democracy”.
“The SHE team contributed enormously to the recent successes at local level, with 40% of women councillors elected on June 7th receiving support from SHE, and a significant number of other SHE-supported candidates finishing in runner-up positions or receiving strong first preference votes,” he said.
See Her Elected offers a range of supports to women who are interested in getting involved in local government, including capacity building and training and the publication of an A-Z guide for women running in the 2029 local elections.
In recognition of their work, in 2021 SHE, which is run by Dr Michelle Maher and Mairéad O’Shea, were awarded a European Innovation in Politics Award, in the democracy category.
“It is my hope that this funding will continue to assist SHE in affecting real change. I will continue to work closely with SHE – and all our key partners – towards our shared goal of greater equality at the level of government closest to the citizen,” Minister Dillon said.