Public Lecture - Women in Politics
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Speakers: Prof Gail McElroy - Professor of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin; Ms Rachel Nolan - former Minister for Finance, Natural Resources and the Arts, Queensland state government, Australia
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Discussant: Senator Ivana Bacik - Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology, Trinity College Dublin
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Chair: Prof Catherine Lawless - Director of the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies, Trinity College Dublin
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Date: Tuesday 4 June from 6.15 - 7.30 pm
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Venue: Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin
Prof Gail McElroy, Ms Rachel Nolan, Senator Ivana Bacik and Prof Catherine Lawless participated in a public lecture "Women in Politics". Prof McElroy delivered a talk titled 'Where are all the women? The political ambition gap in Irish public life' where she presented preliminary findings from her current research regarding women in Irish politics. Ms Rachel Nolan reflected on her experiences of serving as an MP for 11 years including three as a Senior Minister in a robust Parliamentary environment. Senator Ivana Bacik coomented on both presentations bringing into discussion her own insights from elected office. The event was chaired by Prof Catherine Lawless, Director of Centre for Gender and Women's Studies.
- Video recordingavailable here.
Speaker Biographies
Prof Gail McElroy
Gail McElroy is a professor of Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin. Her primary research interests are in the fields of legislative behaviour and party politics. Recent publications have dealt with the nature of party competition in the European Parliament, the role of committees in the policy process and the quality of citizen representation in the European Union. Gail is also actively involved in the Irish National Election Study and the Irish Candidates Study and recent published work in this area explores the continued under-representation of women in Irish politics. She is currently working on an Irish Research Council funded project which examines the differences in political ambition amongst Irish men and women. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, the London School of Economics (MSc) and the University of Rochester (PhD).
Ms Rachel Nolan
Rachel Nolan is a former MP and Cabinet Minister from Queensland, Australia. She served in the portfolios of Finance, Natural Resources, Transport and the Arts in the government of Queensland's first woman Premier, Anna Bligh. Rachel was elected to Parliament at the age of 26, making her the youngest woman ever elected to the State Parliament at that time. Her academic background is in government and economics and in 2006 she was named the University of Queensland's Young Alumnus of the Year. While in Parliament, Rachel served on the University of Queensland Senate and the board of leading think tank the Brisbane Institute. She also remained an active runner and cyclist and won a major national award for contribution to cycling by a politician. Her policy interests centre on economic reform and environmental sustainability.
Prof Ivana Bacik
Ivana Bacik is the Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology (1996), a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and a practising Barrister. Ivana is Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning in the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin. She has a Law degree from Trinity College Dublin and an LL.M. from the London School of Economics. Her research interests include criminal law and criminology, constitutional law, feminist theories and law, human rights and equality issues in law. Ivana Bacik was elected to the Seanad in 2007. She holds the same position at Trinity previously held by Mary Robinson and President Mary McAleese.