Enright will not contest next election due to young family.

The_Minister

http://news.ie.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=154534499

Fine Gael Laois-Offaly TD Olwyn Enright has announced she will not contest the next general election.

Ms Enright said she had not come to the decision "lightly, or overnight" but that because of her young family she would not be in a position to give the "enormous commitment" to her political role.

“This has been a difficult decision that I have deliberated over for some time and I have made this announcement now to enable the local Fine Gael organisation time to select a team of candidates to retain the seat for the party," Ms Enright said.

“Having served firstly as a councillor for the Birr electoral area from 1999, and then as a TD for Laois and Offaly since my election in 2002 and again in 2007 to Dáil Éireann, I did not come to this decision lightly or overnight.

Ms Enright said it had been "a privilege and an honour to serve the people of both Laois and Offaly for almost the last decade".

"I deeply appreciate the trust they placed in me. It is a role I have cherished and endeavoured to work very hard in."

She said she had always had a" strong commitment as a legislator and as a national politician, serving as spokesperson on education and science, and social and family affairs, as well as working child protection issues.

“Ever since I first became involved in politics I have enjoyed dedicating myself to the tasks involved. However, my personal circumstances have changed greatly since I was first elected and in the longer term, with a young family, I will not be in the position to give the enormous commitment the position requires, and that my constituents deserve."

Ms Enright wished Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny "the very best" in the next general election. She said that both he and her constituents could be assured of her continued dedication to her role as a Fine Gael TD, and her service to the people of Laois-Offaly until the next election.

Ms Enright is married to Joe McHugh, Fine Gael TD for Donegal North East. She is a daughter of Tom Enright, who served as a TD from 1969 to 1992, and as a senator from 1993 to 1997.

What do the ladies think?
She was a shoe-in for the next election (probably), and it's one less female politician in the Dail.

I think it lends credence to the idea that many women won't run because they prioritise their families.

kippy

The_Minister wrote: »

http://news.ie.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=154534499




I think it lends credence to the idea that many women won't run because they prioritise their families.

Male perspective here.
Just wondering what is wrong with women not doing certain things because of their families?
It is a personal choice after all.

Giselle

The_Minister wrote: »

What do the ladies think?
She was a shoe-in for the next election (probably), and it's one less female politician in the Dail.

I think it lends credence to the idea that many women won't run because they prioritise their families.

More power to her.

She is honest enough with herself and the electorate to clearly state that her priorities have changed and she can't give the job the dedication she once did. And instead of doing as little as possible and claiming expenses for it, she's opened the gates for someone who can commit more energy and time to get in.

I have no problem with her coming out with this, I think feminism works both ways and that no woman should be pigeon holed into a job she doesn't want, whether thats mother/housewife, politician, or astronaut.

Let her raise her kids to a stage she feels she can return to the job and give it everything it and she deserves.

If only all politicians were that honest.

Admittedly its only going to add fuel to the 'women can't be trusted to stick to the job' arguement, but that woman has only one life, and she has to make the choices that work for her and her family.

ztoical

kippy wrote: »

Male perspective here.
Just wondering what is wrong with women not doing certain things because of their families?
It is a personal choice after all.

But how much of personal choice is it and how much is society? Enright is married to a TD so her and her husband have the same job. If you have two parents working and they feel one of them needs to either cut back or leave their job to focus on the kids 9 times out of 10 it's the woman who does it. This isn't always because the woman feels she has to be the one but in alot of case if the man opted to be the one to take the time off he would get alot of grief for the choice as it would be seen as emasculating. There are plenty of fathers out there with young children who would love to spend more time with their family but feel they can't as they are viewed as the bread winner and it's not right for them to stay at home while the woman works. Women are seen as bad mothers for spending time away from their families and Men are seen as weak if they opt to cut back and spend time with their family.

I do think women should be free to make the choice to work or raise their family if they are able to but it should be just that a choice and men should be able to make the same choice.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

kippy

ztoical wrote: »

But how much of personal choice is it and how much is society? Enright is married to a TD so her and her husband have the same job. If you have two parents working and they feel one of them needs to either cut back or leave their job to focus on the kids 9 times out of 10 it's the woman who does it. This isn't always because the woman feels she has to be the one but in alot of case if the man opted to be the one to take the time off he would get alot of grief for the choice as it would be seen as emasculating. There are plenty of fathers out there with young children who would love to spend more time with their family but feel they can't as they are viewed as the bread winner and it's not right for them to stay at home while the woman works. Women are seen as bad mothers for spending time away from their families and Men are seen as weak if they opt to cut back and spend time with their family.

I do think women should be free to make the choice to work or raise their family if they are able to but it should be just that a choice and men should be able to make the same choice.

So what exactly would you like to see to resolve this "situation"?

Like it or loathe it, it is still a personal decision. That decision may be influenced by societies views (as many are) but at the end of the day she has made it in consultation with her family.

cdaly_

kippy wrote: »

So what exactly would you like to see to resolve this "situation"?

Like it or loathe it, it is still a personal decision. That decision may be influenced by societies views (as many are) but at the end of the day she has made it in consultation with her family.

I'd like to see you choose to sacrifice your career to look after the children.

I'd like to see that as just as valid a choice as when your wife chooses to sacrifice her career to look after the children.

I'd like to see it not be expected of her.

I'd like to see it be expected of you.

Well I'd like it to not be expected of either parent. As a man, I would love to be able to take time off to be with my son/daughter if my wife was in a job she loved & wanted to continue.

(I have neither, but in general what men can get, women should be able to, and vice versa)

cdaly_

Deleted User wrote: »

I have neither

When you do, make sure you do these things. I used my parental leave to do school pickups so we could avoid after-school minders. I also work in a workplace where it's not so unusual for a father to take family-time but it's still pretty much the case that the mothers take the significant family-time off. Hopefully that will change moreso as time goes on but it is up to us men to want to take the time and to make the effort to take the time.

Pherekydes

cdaly_ wrote: »

I'd like to see it not be expected of her.

I'd like to see it be expected of you.

These views of yours are contradictory.

Surely it should be expected of all parents or no parents?

In the end, it came down to a personal decision. Stop making more of it.

cdaly_

They're not contradictory. Currently it is expected of the mother that she will be the one to take time out of her career to look after the children. Currently it is expected of the father that he will not take time out.

I don't imagine that it will not be expected of her anytime soon but I'd like to see that happen. In the meantime I'd like to see it be expected of the man.

Yes, it should be expected of both parents.

Often it is more than just a personal decision. Mother is so worn out trying to be SuperMom that she cannot go on any longer and "It'll be easier on her" if she quits the job. Father, on the other hand, can carry it on no problem 'cos Mother looks after the kids anyway. "It wouldn't make sense" for Father to take time off 'cos it's Mother who's knackered.

kippy

cdaly_ wrote: »

I'd like to see you choose to sacrifice your career to look after the children.

I'd like to see that as just as valid a choice as when your wife chooses to sacrifice her career to look after the children.

I'd like to see it not be expected of her.

I'd like to see it be expected of you.

I would if my wife would let me to be honest.........

Back on topic - While they are all great ways of changing things theres nothing at all concrete in there.

peggie

for my 2 cents it makes me wonder how hard our politicians might actually work-come on they have had over 80 days holidays, will have christmas and easter off- sounds like a perfect job to fit around school holidays so why is it so hard to do both?

my fear for her is what happens if her husband doesn't get elected- how will she feel not having run if he's out and she could have been in ????????

southsiderosie

peggie wrote: »

for my 2 cents it makes me wonder how hard our politicians might actually work-come on they have had over 80 days holidays, will have christmas and easter off- sounds like a perfect job to fit around school holidays so why is it so hard to do both?

my fear for her is what happens if her husband doesn't get elected- how will she feel not having run if he's out and she could have been in ????????

TDs are never really "off" - when the Dail isn't in session they are still working. Irish voters expect to see them in their constituency offices and at community events. Actually, they probably wouldn't have to work as much if voters didn't expect them to both address national issues and behave as local councilors.

Having a personal life is brutal for most politicians, and I don't see how this couple could manage with both partners in the Dail for this long. That said, I agree with donegalfella - if she had come out on the right end of the FG revolt, I don't think she would have resigned.

panda100

kippy wrote: »

Male perspective here.
Just wondering what is wrong with women not doing certain things because of their families?
It is a personal choice after all.

I think often in these cases its more to do with a lack of choices rather than a personal choice.

I think its sad that she felt the need to give up her political role to focus soley on her family. It shouldn't be an either or situation. There should be more flexible working hours for parents,more support available, it really highlights how inacessible politics is really to the ordinary person.

Though in Olwyn Enrights case it probably had more to do with silly FG in fighting than family constraints.

Nevyn

The thing is could a man get away with the same reason/excuse and not be tought less of?

Stheno

Thaedydal wrote: »

The thing is could a man get away with the same reason/excuse and not be tought less of?

I don't believe so, iirc Enright currently had one small child and is pregnant with her second, so whether it's a case of party politics or a work/family balance, given her gender it's easier for people to perceive that there is a greater work/family balance for her than for her husband despite the fact that he is not entitled to the leave Enright is as a man.

Were he the one to step down in the same circumstances what would your thoughts be? Mine would be one of admiration, for several years I worked in an organisation where my job involved a huge (60% plus) of travel away from home, and I worked exclusively with male colleagues, all of whom had kids and religiously called them at night to wish them goodnight, yet that same company had an entire forum on it's internal version of boards dedicated to women complaining about the same thing, yet no such outlet for men.

If the choice here is immaterial of party politics, I'd wonder if the lack of equal paternity leave has influenced at all.

panda100

In Case anyone missed it there was an interesting interview with Olwyn Enright in The Times yesterday.

As the Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright leaves her job to spend more time with her family, she describes how unexpected the sheer desire to be with her child was, how the Dáil could be more woman-friendly – and lessons learned from the Enda Kenny leadership challenge

WE’VE HEARD IT BEFORE. A politician announces that he (and it’s usually a he) is stepping down to spend more time with his family. Nobody voluntarily opts out of such an exclusive club, surely? Well, we’ve had two this week: Liz McManus of Labour and Olwyn Enright of Fine Gael, both of them bright, elegant, articulate and well-educated women.

Of the two, Enright perhaps is the more surprising. With infant in hand, and expecting another, plus a husband 270km away in his own constituency, she says she is stepping down to see more of them. But wait: isn’t it only a few weeks since that unpleasantness in Fine Gael when she featured among the doomed Plinth Nine, demanding a new leader? Some connection there, surely?

Not so, apparently. First, she was unprepared for the sheer desire to see more of her child: “I didn’t appreciate beforehand how strong it would be.”

Then there is her husband, Joe McHugh, TD for Donegal North-East, and his need to disappear back there on Thursdays while she heads for Co Offaly.

Then there is the job. “It’s not that I want to be at home all day every day. But it’s the nature of the job. I could do nine to five, I could do every night, or I could do every weekend – but you can’t do all three. You’re constantly trying to work out whether you’re going to be able to do something with Darragh or if you’re going to get to that thing at six o’clock.”

Yet here is a truly modern couple, equal in earning power. The difference is that she has by far the higher profile of the two.

So would it not make more sense for Joe to concentrate on family and housekeeping? She points first to the work entailed in rebuilding the party organisation in McHugh’s constituency, which hadn’t had a Fine Gael TD since 1992, compared with the party’s more secure position in Laois-Offaly.

She also appears to attribute her own swift rise to the fact that FG offered more opportunities in 2002. She points to the fact that, as the woman, it is she who has to have the child: “I just feel it’s a role I want to play as a mother and that Joe can’t play. We didn’t have that conversation. It was me that chose that.”

She is well aware that as a well-educated, high-earning dynasty politician (her father is the former long-serving TD Tom Enright), she is offering no beacon of encouragement to less privileged women.

“That does bother me. Obviously our situation is unique, but in terms of really being able to take time out, the job does not allow it. And this Dáil has very, very tight numbers as well, so there is added pressure to be there for the votes.”

In other countries female MPs can take time off and be replaced for a while. “In Ireland, you’d never win your seat again,” she laughs ruefully. “If you could take proper maternity leave or look at the idea of taking leave of absence, then you’d consider it.” With Darragh, she took six weeks and even then was constantly fielding phone calls.

Is it compatible at all with being a mother? “It’s not. And it’s not been challenged really. And – I know – here’s me walking off the pitch and not challenging it. But the way I see it is, I don’t want to have to explain to my children in years to come, ‘Well you know, it was really important for women that I stayed in there, so sorry about you.’ I had to decide my priorities, and my priorities are them at the end of the day.”

But the system rankles. She refers to the inexplicable 2.30pm Dáil start on Tuesdays, the daft Wednesday-night sittings, the constituency meetings that stretch pointlessly into the night and the drop-everything requirement when a funeral looms (which she attends only when she personally knows the family).

Does it suit anyone? “It suits men. It does really. Women don’t have wives at home, but you are up against people who do. Anything that’s timetabled you can do, but it’s the things that happen at the last minute that are the problem. My dad will ring me about a funeral. He’s watching my back, he’s helping out, but I’d say, ‘Who’ll mind Darragh?’ and he goes, ‘Drop him down to your mother.’ ” Another rueful laugh.

Political parties have to look harder at themselves and their attitude to women, she says. “There’s a token thing about it. They say, we’ll have a percentage of women the next time or we’ll start with the town councils and work our way up. But that would take many years.”

She notes that women don’t want to take up positions in constituency organisations; they don’t go to meetings. “I think for women, meetings are too long in general. A lot of women would like more focus and purpose as in, this is what we’re here to do.”

It’s not surprising, then, to learn that she is reviewing her approach to quotas for women in parliament, which she opposed in the summer. “I’m certainly moving towards quotas now. I am beginning to think more and more that that unless we do something to get a bulk of women in there, nothing is going to change.”

She reckons that proposals for a list system could go a long way towards addressing both how politics operates and the standard of Dáil debate. For certain TDs, to find themselves pitted against people unencumbered with the burden of electability could only be a good thing; there would be a little less exhibitionism and artificiality and a little more thinking

Link:http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0904/1224278172522.html

southsiderosie

WOW. Thanks for posting. I find her about-face on the quota issue interesting. And I had no idea that female legislators in other countries could have people "sub-in" while they were on maternity leave.