IRISH WOMEN MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
Ireland has twelve
seats in the 736-member European Parliament. Of these three or 25% are
women. Irish MEPs are elected from four multi-member constituencies, by
the same STV system used for the Dáil. The last European Parliamentary
elections took place in 2009, and saw a drop of Irish women MEPs from
5 to 3 from the 2004 elections. At the 2004 elections Ireland had a higher
than average number of MEPs in the EU, but with the 2009 election this
has fallen to having one of the lowest levels of female representation,
and below the 'minimum threshold' set by the EU. Only Poland, the Czech
Republic, Luxembourg and Malta have a lower percentage of female representation.
With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009, the next
election will see an increase in the overall number of seats and a slightly
different allocation, both of which scenarios would slightly decrease
Ireland's number of allocated seats.
Table 1: Current Irish women MEPs (as at 25 October 2010)
|
Name
|
Party
|
Constituency
|
Dates
|
|
Nessa Childers
|
Labour
|
East
|
2009
|
|
Mairead McGuinness
|
Fine Gael
|
East
|
2004
|
|
Marian Harkin
|
Independent
|
North West
|
2004
|
Table 2: Irish European election results by gender and
party, 2009
|
Party
|
Women
|
Men
|
%
Women
|
|
Fianna Fáil
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
Fine Gael
|
1
|
3
|
25
|
|
Labour
|
1
|
2
|
33
|
|
Socialist Party
|
1
|
0
|
100
|
|
Independent
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Total
|
3
|
9
|
25
|
Table 3: Irish European election results by gender and party, 2004
|
Party
|
Women
|
Men
|
%
Women
|
| Fianna Fáil |
0
|
4
|
0
|
| Fine Gael |
2
|
3
|
40
|
| Labour |
0
|
1
|
0
|
| Sinn Fein |
1
|
0
|
100
|
| Independent |
2
|
0
|
100
|
| TOTAL |
5
|
8
|
38
|
Return to top
|
