Women politicians are set to meet Minister for Equality Roderic O’Gorman after he warned of “complexity” around maternity leave for TDs and Senators.
Questions have been raised about whether a politician should be able to return to positions such as committee chairs after their maternity leave.
As Justice Minister Helen McEntee returns from maternity leave, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin outlines the case for legislation to protect and support members of the Oireachtas.
READ MORE: Ireland storm warning as Met Eireann pinpoint exact day heat streak weather could be broken
As we rightly continue to advance and enforce maternity leave protections in general, it is ironic that TDs and Senators still do not have clear arrangements in place.
A lack of maternity leave should not be a barrier for women entering and staying in public life. We can – and should – do better.
Many people will remember hearing about the ad hoc arrangements brought in when Minister Helen McEntee took her maternity leave for her first child two years ago.
Our national parliament had simply never had to deal with this situation before – of a cabinet minister having a baby.
While the issue has been characterised as a historic Oireachtas oversight, it touches on a more profound and important matter of widening participation in the political process.
In 2023, the gap in clear maternity arrangements for TDs and Senators remains. Is this how best we can encourage more women into politics?
Urgent action is needed before the next intake of TDs and Senators.
This echoes the work of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality which recommended improving family-friendly practices for all public representatives, including to make maternity, paternity and parental leave available to all elected representatives and to provide flexible working options to suit caring responsibilities.
Examples of things to be clarified include voting by proxy, extra support so that someone on maternity leave is not electorally disadvantaged by taking leave; how allowances will be dealt with or whether a politician on maternity leave will or should be able to return to their former positions such as committee chairs after they return from leave.
Last year we saw huge advancement on the issue when Government progressed maternity leave and arrangements for Councillors. This was such a welcome development, and it simply does not make sense that another group of politicians – TDs and Senators – still don’t have protections in place today.
I urge the Government to move quickly on this.
Without it, women will continue to take maternity leave (or not) without clear guidance on the supports they are entitled to and what impact it will have on their career.
The current oversight is indicative of a completely outdated approach to the business of the Oireachtas. In 2023, this is not an acceptable worry for any sector or worker.
Within the grounds of Leinster House, we regularly champion the increased participation of women in the wider workforce and promote family-friendly workplaces and practices. We debate legislation and private members’ motions on work-life balance and greater leave entitlements for the events in our lives that need our attention away from the office, and we set ambitious gender quota targets in an effort to bolster these attempts.
Yet when it comes to ensuring that us elected members inside Leinster House have the same access to family-friendly work environments and maternity entitlements, there is a continued disregard of this basic need.
Female participation in politics is crucially important and we need to deliver for women if we want to see more women in politics.
Gender quotas do little on their own to solve the recurring underrepresentation of women in political life.
We are all committed to making politics more family friendly. These supports are an absolute necessity if we want to attract more women to public life.
As a legislator I want to see action soon. It is long overdue.
- Fiona O’Loughlin is a Fianna Fail Senator and Chair of the Oireachtas Womens’ Caucus
READ NEXT:
Jonathan Dowdall expected to leave the country in weeks under witness protection
'I want this put to bed' - Una Healy discusses throuple on RTE chat show
Met Eireann pinpoint date high pressure will 'weaken its grip' on Ireland
Holly Willoughby to deliver 'honest statement' about Phillip Schofield
Irish Britain's Got Talent star shares secret to staying calm ahead of final
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
