Although the Garda is an equal opportunities employer, less than one-tenth of the force is female. And, of these, very few are to be found in the senior ranks. However the situation is not as bad as it appears at face value.

A Garda spokeswoman points out that women were only allowed to join the Garda since 1959. The force was already 37 years old. From 1959 to 1973 women had to resign when they got married (the marriage bar was not unique to the Garda but applied to all public service positions).

For women in the Garda and elsewhere, this meant that progression through the ranks to senior positions was only open to women who stayed single. Today, of the 11,212 gardai, 1,094 are women. The majority of these - 1,011 - are employed at garda rank, while there are 75 sergeants, five inspectors, and three superintendents. One of these superintendents is on the list for promotion to chief superintendent.

The spokeswoman stresses that all aspects of the job are open to both men and women.