Women and Politics in Contemporary Ireland

Book excerpt: As Ireland made the transition from a rural to a post-industrial society from the 1970s onwards, Irish women developed a significant political voice. Long excluded from participation in the civic arena, they organised to make new, challenging and specific demands on government. The relationship between feminist representatives and political decision makers is at the core of this book. It shows how Irish women developed the political skills required to represent women's interests to government effectively, and finds that the political activity of the women's movement in the Republic of Ireland contributed to the dismantling of a range of discriminatory policies against women. Galligan discusses the compromises made by both sides as the political system slowly moved to accomodate the feminist agenda. In doing so, she explores the dynamics of Irish politics from a different, yet complementary, perspective from the institutional approach which characterizes other studies of the Irish political system. This book clearly marks the significant points in the creation of a more woman-friendly society in Ireland from the 1970s to the present day. It is the story of women's rights in contemporary Ireland.