A chara, – Christopher McMahon (Letters, June 6th) reasonably argues that the fact that male candidates are more likely to be elected than females can be explained by factors other than the Irish electorate having a deeply held preference for male politicians.
What is indisputable is that this shows that the electorate, and in particular females, do not share the view of those calling for gender quotas that it is desperately important that we have more women politicians. They are gender-neutral in their voting patterns.
Perhaps, living in the real world, they have come to realise that when you are faced with a procession of candidates for high office who went to fee-paying schools, are solicitors or teachers, own property to let, are closely related to other politicians, and are ruthlessly ambitious while being economical with the truth, gender becomes less of a factor in voting decisions than some can apparently even begin to imagine. – Is mise,
DAVE SLATER,
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Kilkea,
Co Kildare.