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Mary Mitchell O'Connor: 'There is sexism and bullying in the Dáil'

The junior minister was speaking after criticising “macho” culture in the Dáil.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

MARY MITCHELL O’CONNOR has said that there is sexism in the Dáil, but a “revolution” is happening in all sectors of society as women seek to have their voices heard on par with their male counterparts.

Speaking to reporters this morning, the junior minister said that she hadn’t experienced sexual harassment in the Oireachtas – as has grabbed the headlines in the United Kingdom and Westminster -  but when asked about bullying, such as women being put down at meetings and their voices not being listened to as much as their male counterparts, she said:

I certainly have, I would believe there is sexism in the Dáil, I have said that before. I also believe there is a revolution happening, women want their voices heard in the arts, in industry, in education and in politics.

“I believe that as policymakers we need to protect women.”

In today’s Irish Times the minister is quoted as saying that the level of “macho” behaviour in the Dáil has left her feeling “ashamed of my life in there”. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today deflected these accusations of macho-ism to the left.

While stressing that Leinster House is a safe place for women, he said:

“That is not to say there isn’t macho behaviour on occasion, in the Oireachtas, there certainly is, but I have spoken myself in the past about how very often when you’re trying to conduct normal business in the Dáil you’re interrupted and shouted down constantly.

But that is largely perpetrated by men and women of the left rather than men specifically.

The Taoiseach said systemic bullying can never be tolerated, adding that “all forms of inappropriate behaviour, boorish behaviour or obnoxious behaviour, don’t necessarily constitute systemic bullying or sexual assault so I think we have to bear them in mind”.

The Sunday Business Post reported yesterday that a new set of policies on dealing with sexual misconduct allegations could be introduced by staff at Leinster House, with the issue due to be raised by the Houses of the Oireachtas commission in the coming weeks.

Junior Minister Mitchell O’Connor’s comments came at the launch of a new gender equality taskforce for higher education institutions.

0111 Gender Equality Issues_90528534 Mary Mitchell O’Connor and chairperson of the taskforce Marie O’Connor . Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

The panel consists of five people tasked with a review of the promotion and recruitment practices within these institutions, identifying areas that need improvement.

Minister Mitchell O’Connor said the taskforce intends to take a ‘carrot and stick approach’ as opposed to introducing penalties.

“Even already we’ve had the Irish Research Council saying that funding will be held back if institutions do not reach a certain level of making sure there is gender equality in the institution,” she said.
I really don’t want to handcuff or manacle the gender taskforce saying what I want to happen, but I want them now to come with solutions.

The minister said the reform will be a “culture change”.

“I am not naive enough to think that change will happen overnight, but if we don’t start now, by putting teeth in the recommendations, we will never realise our ambitions,” she said. “I want the taskforce to circumvent the resistance to change that is apparent in the institutions.”

The taskforce is due to report to the Minister with the intention of setting up a three-year action plan.

The latest data from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), published in July, found that just 21% of professors at Ireland’s seven universities are women, with the authors criticising that only small improvements have been made in recent years.

Additional reporting by Christina Finn

Read: After years of high-profile gender issues at NUIG, 40% of senior lecturers are now female >

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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:42 AM

    @Ann Lennon:
    From reading this and other articles, it would appear that the “fall from grace” was in his mind.
    A much more pertinent question, was the councillor with with whom he had 10 sessions suitably qualified to determine whether Hawe was a danger to himself or his family? I think “the two felt a connection.” is an extraordinary statement.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 9:44 AM

    @John Jones: the point is they don’t know. The gardai won’t release the files and the school has never once contacted the family.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 11:32 AM

    @John Jones: no, not a deliberate cover up, but the family are entiteled to some answers to their legitimate questions. The fact that the school has never contacted these people is not speculation, it’s fact, according to them.

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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:32 AM

    Tragic and cruel, but there are far too many experts on here giving their twopence worth.If only mental health was that easy to diagnose,leave it to those that have some idea what they are talking about .

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    Mute Matt Beaumont
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:41 AM

    @Anthony Gallagher: well obviously they didn’t in that case.

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    Mute John Jones
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:46 AM

    @James Wallace: Do you think theres a cover up. I think it’s sad how there’s a massive slight being put on the school based on pure speculation.

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    Mute Jane
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    Feb 26th 2019, 2:18 PM

    @CrabaRev: I dont think it’s true to say the fall from grace was in his head. From the Independent.

    He has said in his own words that he was caught red-handed and we do know that he was looking at pornography….

    “We’ve had sight of the counselling notes and he had said he was masturbating somewhere that he shouldn’t have been… So we have pieces of information but we don’t know who caught him.
    “We do know, in the June, he cancelled all his counselling sessions and this all happened the day before he was to return to school,” she said. “He said that it was easier for them to die than to have to live with the truth of what he was doing.”

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:10 PM

    @Jane: The counselor said that he said this?? She was in a position to go to gardai with this information; patient confidentiality goes out the window when there is a real risk to life. Did she pass this information onto the guards before the murders?

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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 4:54 PM

    @Jane: I replied to your comment, but my comment was deleted for some weird Journal.ie reason. What you have just quoted from the Indo was a quote from Clodagh’s sister.

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:19 AM

    It seems it is about the will, and who gets what! Which family benefits from the assets left over…I was wondering why this case had come up again. It is petty infighting between family…..over the assets left behind…

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:57 AM

    @GerryCummins: would you ever stop. This is a broken, devastated family looking for answers.

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    Mute Anne O'Brien
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    Feb 28th 2019, 4:33 AM

    This Family needs answers, why do they not have the full story. Release all records if you will not share the truth. That councillor statement is bizarre, and a big worry if you ask me. Badly done school. I say wow Mammy, Sister, Granmother, and Aunt you are now fighting for the defenseless I really hope you get your answers. Why O Why

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    Mute helen walsh
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:40 AM

    My comments are constantly removed, who is behind that? Is my personal information being given to cronies..

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