More action needed to increase women's role on State Boards - Minister Lynch calls on the Cabinet for renewed effort

At its Cabinet meeting this morning, the Minister of State for Equality, Ms. Kathleen Lynch T.D., told the Government that there is a real need for each Department and its Minister to strengthen efforts to appoint women to the country’s State Boards, if the Government is to reach its own target of 40 per cent by 2016. 

At the end of 2011, women filled just below 34 per cent of these seats.  Minster Lynch reminded the Ministerial team that the 40 per cent goal was first set some 20 years ago.  Statistics have now been tracked annually for ten years.   The Minister pointed out that, while there was good progress in the beginning and this has continued in some Departments, the overall outcomes aggregated across all Departments, had been at roughly the same level of 33/34 per cent for the past six years.    

The Minister noted that there is still a wide variation in the composition of Boards between Departments.  Those with a social focus – health, education and the social services – are more likely to have a higher female representation, while the economic Departments are much below the average.  

Minister Lynch has long been an advocate for the advancement of women.  She hosted a very successful conference on the topic of women in politics earlier this year, while she also took place in a Council of Ministers’ policy debate on the role of women on corporate boards, related to Commission Vice President Reding’s initiative in February this year. 

Speaking about the importance of increasing women’s presence on State Boards, Minister Lynch noted that Ireland has one of the best educated female populations in the world, with women playing leadership roles in many diverse and challenging areas at home and abroad.  She firmly believes that many of the State Boards should welcome, and would benefit from, the vision of these experienced women.

The Minister also advised the Government that the voluntary "Board Diversity Initiative: Making Women Visible" had assembled a portfolio of CVs of women from a wide range of backgrounds who were ready to be considered for board positions. "There really is no excuse not to see real progress on this Government commitment in 2013", she said. 

18 December 2012

ENDS 

 

Note for editors:

 

These data are collated by the Department of Justice and Equality.

 

The key statistics for 2011 are appended.