Teresa Costello, a seasoned county councillor from South Dublin, recalls how she received a distasteful phone call from an anonymous caller during a weekend last month, right after she had come home from a local clinic. Costello represents the constituents of Tallaght Central and often works towards addressing their grievances. However, the unknown caller began by asking if she was Teresa Costello, and aggressively questioned her community-serving skills, comparing her appearance to that of an adult film actress.
Costello, who is a Fianna Fáil party member, was taken aback when the man insulted her with remarks about her blonde hair and overall appearance. The possibility of somebody judging her potential to serve the community based on her looks left her flabbergasted. She was advised to renounce her blonde hair to obtain credibility among her constituents.
Having served as councillor since 2019, Costello is currently in contention as a general election candidate for the Fianna Fáil party, from Dublin South West, sharing the candidacy with John Lahart, an established TD of the party. Despite the indelicate phone call undermining her personal attributes, Costello firmly believes in her capabilities and wonders aloud whether a male counterpart would face a similar critique.
In the midst of her political voyage, which started after she was diagnosed with breast cancer over a decade back and had thereafter initiated an online group to support cancer patients, Costello shares that this is not the first time that her appearance has been unfairly targeted. She narrates another incident where a scornful remark was made about her picture posted online, where she is seen alongside the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin during an event.
Costello affirms that, while others might find such comments distressing, she looks at things differently at this stage of her life, ensuring that she appreciates her existence and that her focus is on her happiness, rather than being bothered by baseless comments from disgruntled individuals.
Confirmed statistics from Women for Election, a nonprofit entity working to increase female representation in politics, reveals that out of the 341 candidates who have committed to participating in the forthcoming general election, 127 are women. This accounts for 37.2 per cent of all nominees declared to date. Costello is among these female contenders.
While no official date has been set for the vote, the minimum quota for female candidates within political parties is set to rise from 30 to 40 per cent. Failure to fulfil this quota will result in a 50 per cent loss of State funding, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of euros for the three primary parties, as per recent statistics.
Women for Election’s CEO, Brian Sheehan, concedes that females in the public domain are subject to different treatment and attitudes, a hurdle that must be tackled. This is evident from recent events, such as the alleged bomb threat at the residence of Fine Gael’s Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, and a farmer’s conviction for assaulting Fianna Fáil’s junior minister, Anne Rabbitte, with a sealed bag of cattle droppings at a public event in County Galway the previous year.
Despite these occurrences, Sheehan anticipates a substantial increase in female candidates in the forthcoming election, surpassing the 162 that participated in 2020. He predicts all parties will meet the new 40 per cent gender quota, further stating, “many parties have earnestly sought outstanding female candidates and, utilising local elections, have ushered them through the political process, especially if they are inexperienced.”
Of all the political entities, Aontú has the highest proportion of female nominees, at 53 per cent, as per the data shared by Women for Election. They are followed by Social Democrats (47 per cent), Fianna Fáil and the Green Party (both with 41 per cent). Sinn Féin has 40 per cent, followed by Fine Gael (37 per cent), the Labour Party (36 per cent), Solidarity-People Before Profit (25 per cent), and finally, Independent Ireland (22 per cent).
Independent Ireland, a new political body including TDs Michael Collins, Richard O’Donoghue, and Michael Fitzmaurice, express their objective to present “a balanced gender ticket founded on merit rather than being incentivised by gender quotas.”
The Party voiced its response to questions by stating the challenges in securing female candidates for political elections, due to the unique obstacles women confront in politics. They pledged to go the extra mile to back their potential candidates, irrespective of their gender, as they take steps into the electoral fray.
Keira Keogh, a 38-year-old child behaviour consultant, who was unsuccessful in the June local elections, was chosen as a candidate for the Mayo seat by Fine Gael. She shares the election ballot with the Alan Dillon, the party’s TD and junior minister. The impending retirement of long-time Fine Gael TD Michael Ring, was perceived by Keogh as a golden opportunity to vie for a Dáil seat.
The announcement of her decision to run was met with responses questioning her future regarding marriage and starting a family. She expressed concerns that there’s still a societal expectation about women’s role and their acceptability in a political environment. Keogh mentioned how she was spared social media harassment during her previous political campaign, however she realises this might change with her increased public presence. She made references to the intimidation faced by her colleagues due to online stalking and serious invasions of privacy.
Keogh called attention to the fact that only 131 women have secured a place in Dáil Éireann thus far, speaking about the responsibility she has to contribute her effort. She stressed the urgent need for more women to step up to the plate. The support from Fine Gael, particularly through the female mentor programme it ran last year targeted strictly for female candidates, has been significant for her, she claimed. The opportunity to have a supportive network was particularly valuable, Keogh concluded, especially compared to the hurdles she would face if she were to run as an independent candidate.
Natasha Newsome Drennan, aged 48, has been announced as a candidate for Sinn Féin in the Carlow-Kilkenny area. This nomination is shared with Áine Gladney Knox, with neither having succeeded in previous local elections. Newsome Drennan, who boasts 18 years of experience in the disability sector, identifies herself as the sole woman contender on the Kilkenny side of the constituency, a fact she considers advantageous.
According to her, the main obstacle for fresh candidates like herself is their lack of recognition, especially when up against well-established TDs. These include John McGuinness and Jennifer Murnane O’Connor of Fianna Fáil (based in Carlow) and Malcolm Noonan of the Green Party. All the aforementioned persons are contesting in this five-seat constituency.
Nonetheless, the decision of Kathleen Funchion, a party colleague, to shift to Europe, and Fine Gael’s John Paul Phelan to withdraw from the next general election, may present opportunities for fresh faces.
Sheehan acknowledges that incumbency is a major barrier for new female candidates and refers to recent local election outcomes. Out of the 797 councillors (84%) who contested for re-election, 594 were men and 203 were women. This left 267 seats for fresh contenders. About 85% of the councillors who stood for re-election secured their seats.
The total seats available were 949, out of which 247 were claimed by women. Only three local authorities saw female representation of 40% or more. This is despite a record number of 681 women contesting in these elections.
Sheehan anticipates a rise in the number of elected female officials in the next general elections due to the open spots, especially in Fine Gael. Nonetheless, she laments that women constitute only 23% of the Dáil and ranks Ireland 103rd globally in terms of female representation in the national government. She emphasises that there’s still a long way to go to address this disparity significantly.
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