Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh: Catherine Connolly and other women in positions of political power are correcting decades of imbalance shaped by men

Leaders of the Labour Party, Social Democrats and Sinn Féin are all women

From left, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and president-elect Catherine Connolly. Photo: PA

Watching Catherine Connolly arrive at Dublin Castle last weekend, I noticed something: the majority of the political leaders who canvassed for her were women.

Almost every major party on Ireland’s left is led by a woman. That’s not a coincidence; rather, it’s a sign that the political system is finding ways to correct its own imbalance after decades of being shaped by men. Part of that is opening the door to female leadership.

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