Northern Ireland Office

The Secretary of State, Peter Hain MP paid tribute today to the contribution women have made to public life in Northern Ireland.

In his speech at the “Encouraging More Women into Political and Public Life” conference at Hillsborough Castle, aimed at increasing the participation of women in government at both a national and local level, the Secretary of State said: “Throughout our history, women have played a significant role in both the social and economic development of Northern Ireland. It is vital that women play an equally strong role in the politics of Northern Ireland.”

“Women comprise more than 50 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland. Yet at the last Assembly elections only 17 per cent of MLAs were women: that is 18 out of 108. Compare that to the 50 per cent of women elected to the National Assembly of Wales and 42 per cent in the Scottish Parliament.”

The Secretary of State went on to point out that the vast majority of the public wished to see more women involved in politics.

“A recent Life and Times Survey in Northern Ireland stated that 75% of men and women agreed that women need to get involved in politics. The same survey reported that 55% of the men and women surveyed believed parties should be encouraged to put forward a proportion of women candidates.”

Mr Hain said: “Political candidates must reflect the voters that they represent. Women represent over half of the voting population of Northern Ireland and our political structures should reflect that. Today’s conference will be a springboard for action, encouraging women to increase their participation in political and public life.”

The conference included women speakers and guests from Northern Ireland political parties with experience at Westminster, the Assembly and local councils. The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh National Assembly were also represented.

The Secretary of State concluded: “Today’s conference is a rallying call for equality. In the coming weeks I will launch Northern Ireland’s first gender equality strategy. It will establish a policy framework of high level objectives, one of which will ensure the active and equal participation of women and men at all levels of public and political life.”