Limerick Women's Caucus launched to encourage women to participate in local politics

A NEW group has been launched in Limerick in a bid to increase the numbers of women who participate in politics locally.

The Limerick Women’s Caucus comprises the nine women councillors on Limerick City and County Council, coming together in a non-partisan way to address the issues encountered by women in the sector and to help support others who might like to enter political life.

A cross-party forum for Limerick’s women elected representatives, Limerick’s Women’s Caucus will allow participants to discuss and campaign on the issues that are affecting women.

The Limerick Women’s Caucus aims to attain equal representation of women and men on Limerick City and County Council, as well as to show democracy in action.

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Speaking at the launch this Thursday, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Francis Foley, said that we need greater representation from women on Limerick City and County Council.

“Census 2022 found that there are slightly more women than men living in Limerick, yet only nine of our 39 councillors are women. For society to develop and prosper in a much more equitable and representative fashion, we need to have more women represented,” he added.

Chair of the Limerick Women’s Caucus, Cllr Sarah Kiely, said: “We need balance. Nine women out of 39 councillors needs to be improved. Councillors are very close to the electorate; we are your voice. We are the closest to democracy; we are the closest to the citizens of Limerick. Therefore, I would encourage any woman who is involved in community groups, and other organisations to take that step. We are the leaders within our communities, and this should be reflected on our Council.”

The Limerick Women’s Caucus was one of the first groupings to be established by a local authority in Ireland. Since the announcement, the government has allocated €62,000 to 16 organisations, including Limerick City and County Council, in a bid to develop similar groups in their areas.

Working together to address several issues and impediments for women entering politics, The Limerick Women’s Caucus is inviting women to get in touch with them.

To promote the initiative, The Limerick Women’s Caucus will be organizing different events in the coming months. It will be an advocate for the promotion of politics as a good career option and will be looking at speaking to as many women and women’s groups as possible.