Wallace attends Conference for International Womens Day

15th March 2010

Mary Wallace TD was delighted to be invited to celebrate International Womens Day recently in Meath. Deputy Wallace said that this was a day to celebrate achievements, to congratulate women in the many roles they are involved in within the family, workplace & community and to look at where women have come from and what they hope to achieve in the future.

Meath ICA, Meath Sports Partnership, Meath Girl Guides and 3rd Age Action were all represented by excellent speakers and a debate was had on ‘are women equal to men today’. There was then a celebration of music and drama again relevant to the progress women had made.

Speakers referred ‘back to a time’ when women had no vote, when they had to leave the workplace on marriage due to the marriage bar and when there was neither equal pay nor equal ownership of the family home.

Deputy Wallace announced that huge progress has been made by women in the workplace and in business with women about 50% of the workplace and the recent Fas/ESRI report saying that in 5 years time women will account for 54% of all business professionals a 12% increase since 2001.  And that half of Managers are women compared to 40% at the start of the decade.

Only in the world of politics are women very much in the minority with 23 women TD’s out of 166 and in the 2009 local elections 16% of women being elected compared to 19% in the 2004 local election.

Mary Wallace called for more women candidates and for voters to support women in their bid for election to local and national politics. She also said that the Meath Electorate were ahead in the support having a female TD since 1989 and increasing the number of women on Meath County Council in the last local elections.

Ends