Number of women on boards increasing but more can be done – Dolan

The increase in the proportion of women on Irish boards is welcome but still far too slow, a Fine Gael General Election candidate has said.

Cllr Aisling Dolan, who is set to contest for a seat in the Roscommon/Galway constituency, said, “The latest data from the Balance for Better Business Review Group shows the proportion of women on Irish boards has risen from 20.9pc in March 2019 to 25.3pc in September 2019.

“This is welcome news, and indeed exceeds the target set for 2020. However, we must be more ambitious about this issue.

“Having gender balance at all levels of Irish business is vital. The evidence shows that balanced boards and leadership makes for better decision making and better results.

“I believe the Government must look at the targets for increasing gender balance on boards and reassess them to take account of a more ambitious target.

“As a modern progressive society, Ireland still has a way to go to achieve gender equality in a number of areas, not least in business,” Cllr Dolan added.

She continued, “However, this is one area where we can bring about tangible results quickly that will benefit both businesses, and our workforce as a whole.

“The idea that the glass ceiling has been shattered is clearly not true for all women in all professions and we must do everything we can to ensure that there are no obstacles in the way for women who aspire to leadership positions.

“The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation under Minister Heather Humphreys has taken a number of positive steps to promote women in business including encouraging entrepreneurship among women through our Local Enterprise Offices and funding opportunities available to women only.

“The forthcoming Female Entrepreneurship Strategy from that department is an opportunity to come up with an action plan to tackle the dearth of women rising to senior positions in business, as well as promoting more women to go into business for themselves,” Cllr Dolan concluded.