This Sunday, December 14, sees the 90th Anniversary of the first woman to be elected as an MP. 

At the time of her election, Constance Markievicz was being held in a British Gaol as a result of her participation in the 1916 Easter Rising.

She was one of two women to stand for Sinn Féin in the 1918 election, the second being Winifred Carney, who stood in Belfast.

Markievicz went on to be made Minister for Labour in the First Dáil in 1919 and was returned as an abstentionist TD for Dublin City South in the election of 1923.

The election of Countess Markievicz in Dublin in 1918 was not only a significant milestone in the struggle for Irish freedom, but it also represented a significant gain for women’s equality as it sent out a clear message that women had a role to play in politics.

Women had always been at the forefront of the struggle for national liberation as far back as the 1798 rising.

They were active in formulating and creating the United Irish culture that emanated from Wolfe Tone and, as a consequence, raised the awareness of women’s equality within the culture of republicanism.

They demanded equal rights as women as well as equal rights as Irish republicans and, despite living in an era where men dominated society, they did have support from male colleagues on the issue of women’s equality.

The contribution made by republican women like Countess Markievicz in Ireland towards equality for women in the late 19th century and at the turn of the 20th century cannot be ignored. 

The rise of nationalism and the Labour movement and the women’s movement in Ireland all made significant contributions towards equality for the working class.   

Women fought alongside men and had active roles in every rising against British occupation, yet most of the participation of women hasn’t been recorded historically or indeed has been deliberately ignored.

So did the election of Countess Markievicz 90 years ago signal that women would have greater representation in political life?

Today in Ireland as a whole, women make up 51 per cent of the population, yet in the North of Ireland only 16.7 per cent of MLAs are women and 21.3 per cent of local councillors.

In the South of Ireland only 13 per cent of TDs are women and only 15 per cent of elected councillors are women. 

Out of 108 MLAs elected to the Assembly at Stormont, only 18 are women. 

These statistics show that women are still seriously under-represented at all levels of the decision-making process and at all levels of government, and women being under-represented in politics and public life has a negative impact on politics and in all other areas of life.

They constitute a diverse group with many talents and life experiences and have many positive attributes to bring to the world of politics. 

Sinn Féin currently have eight women MLAs, two of whom are Ministers, including Michelle Gildernew, who is also an MP, and two women MEPs, one of whom is Báirbre De Brún from West Belfast.

Across Belfast the party has three women MLAs and eight women councillors sitting in Lisburn and Belfast.  

Two of the six Sinn Féin MLAs representing West Belfast are women and of the 16 councillors for West Belfast, including the Colin area, six are Sinn Féin women.

We still need more women, particularly young women, to come forward into political life.  

It is only through women’s participation that equality for women will be seen as a priority and the issues that affect woman’s lives are kept high on the political agenda.     

We need to follow the example set by Countess Constance Markievicz, all those years ago and ensure that the barriers to women’s participation in all aspects of life, including politics, are removed. 

There will be an event to celebrate the life and contribution of Countess Markievicz at Stormont on Monday, December 15 at 2pm in the Sinn Féin members room. All are welcome to attend.