Irish girls growing up in 2021 don’t have to look too far to find some amazing female role models.
This International Women’s Day, Chic magazine in the Irish Daily Star spoke to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns who told us what being a woman in 2021 means to her.
And Holly revealed how she feels she comes from a “long line of very strong women”, as she opened up about the need for more female representation in politics.
On Holly’s mum’s side, her grandmother signed up to help in World War II, where she became part of the first group of female electricians in the Royal Air Force. On her dad’s side, her grandmother helped set up the charity Cherish with Mary Robinson.
Holly added, “They’re both so inspirational; so ahead of their time, in terms of being feminist. My mum is a constant inspiration, too — she’s always stood up for what she believed in; has always been an activist. It’s those women closest to me in my life that have inspired me.”
The Social Democrats TD also opened up about what being a woman in politics, specifically, in 2021 means to her — and emphasised the need for more female representation within the political world.
She said, “I suppose in a way, it’s my career — and so it means everything now. I’ve really dedicated my life to it at this point. We have seen time and time again how women have been let down by the State. Women are just always under-represented and therefore under-served.
“Just so recently, when we saw restrictions being reviewed and revised across society, and when pubs and restaurants were open and there were gatherings and everything, women were still giving birth on their own in maternity wards. That restriction was never slightly eased. It’s that disregard for women’s health and mental health that I’m so sick of.
“I’ve become so involved with women’s issues, which I’m so happy to do. I didn’t set out to do that, necessarily — but it’s just that there’s so many issues affecting women.
“It’s very clear that we need more female representation. Traditionally, politics has been so male dominated — we have just 36 female TDs. In terms of TDs in Cork, there’s six times as many Michaels — or a variation of it — as there are women.
“And say in the Dail Reform Committee, the standing orders have been looked at for almost 100 years, and changed consistently to improve them all the time. Obviously, I’m new to the committee — but I noticed in the standing orders that it says chairman 157 times, chairperson twice and chairwoman zero times. It just didn’t acknowledge that women might be in the chair.”
She added that she suggested to the committee that it simply be changed to say ‘chair’ — which was agreed.
“It’s baby steps,” Holly added. “But at least now the standing orders of the national parliament will acknowledge that women sit in chairs, also.”
