Search

06 Sept 2025

Upcoming General Election will see historical milestone reached for Irish women

More female candidates have been selected to run for the General Election than ever before in the history of the State

Upcoming General Election will see historical milestone reached for Irish women

Reporter:

Edana Flynn

19 Oct 2024 3:55 PM

Political data hub Women for Election (WfE) have confirmed that the upcoming General Election will see the largest ever number of women contesting for seats.
Though the General Election date is yet to be confirmed, 165 women have been selected so far to run based on the number of women selected to date by political parties or announcing their intention to run as independent candidates. 
This historic milestone comes as Ireland prepares for its first general election with a candidate gender quota for political parties of 40% men and 40% women candidates.  
CEO of Women for Election Brian Sheehan said that this is "good news for the health of our democracy that more women than ever before are stepping forward to participate in the democratic process.."
He continued: “We commend these women candidates for their courage, their commitment to public service and their determination to making a difference in their communities, despite the recognised challenges women face when considering politics.” 
Ireland currently ranks 103rd in the world for the number of women in the national Parliament, with just 23% of TDs who are women, a total of 37 of the 160 TDs in the current Dáil.
Women make up 50% of the population but just over one in five current TDs are women.  
Mr. Sheehan stated that when political institutions are so unrepresentative of the population, they struggle to serve the population’s interests. He said: "The upcoming General Election offers voters a vital opportunity to reshape our democracy by electing many more talented, capable women and changing the face of our Parliament and Government.” 
The organisation said that the record number of women candidates reflects the ongoing efforts by political parties and organisations like Women for Election themselves to address the persistent gender imbalance in Irish politics.
In 2016, the first election with a candidate gender quota, of 30%, the number of women contesting the General Election almost doubled, with a 40% increase in women elected. That gain was maintained in the General Election in 2020, which also had a candidate gender quota of 30%.  
With 164 women already selected, the coming weeks will see even more women declared as candidates, offering voters a wider choice of talented, capable women to represent them. 
Mr. Sheehan concluded: “More women at decision-making tables makes politics work better for everyone.
A balanced and more representative democracy where both men and women contribute equally to policymaking and leadership leads to more effective and inclusive decisions, benefitting everyone in Ireland”

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!

Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.

Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Most Popular

Sponsored Content

Multimedia

We've got Donegal Covered...

Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie

Buy a paper

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Buy Now
Get the news

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.

Register Here
Iconic Media is Ireland's largest independently owned regional newspaper and media group, with an unrivalled audience in print, online and mobile. We have 19 regional newspapers and 21 digital sites.

Iconic Digital Titles

  • Carlow Live
  • Clare Live
  • Derry Now
  • Donegal Live
  • Éire Bheo
  • Inish Live
  • Ireland Live
  • Kildare Live
  • Kildare Now
  • Kilkenny Live
  • Laois Live
  • Leitrim Live
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Live
  • Longford Live
  • Louth Live
  • Mayo Live
  • Nenagh Live
  • Offaly Live
  • Tipperary Live
  • Waterford Live

    • Iconic Print Titles

  • Clonmel Nationalist
  • County Derry Post
  • Derry News
  • Donegal Democrat
  • Donegal Post
  • Dundalk Democrat
  • Homes in Donegal
  • Inish Times
  • Kilkenny People
  • Leinster Express
  • Leinster Leader
  • Leitrim Observer
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Leader
  • Longford Leader
  • Mayo News
  • Midland Tribune
  • Tipperary Star
  • Tullamore Tribune

    • This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.

    © 2025 Iconic Media