Girl power

You need women, Michael! That's the clear message from the female members of IFA, who are calling on the association and its General Secretary Michael Berkery to put more resources into the IFA equality programme. This programme aims to encourage greater female membership of key committees and more female involvement at top level in the association. Mairead Lavery reports

Co-funding of the programme by the Department of Equality, Law Reform and Justice ends in December, leaving its future up in the air and the female members of IFA up in arms. Such is the strong feeling among female members that some even suggested pickets at IFA headquarters to get their equality message across.

The IFA has about 85,000 members and only 4,000 of these are females who are members in their own right. When it comes to those holding elected office in the IFA, the figures are even worse. Only 150 females hold any position in the association and a high percentage of those are county or national officers of the all-female Farm Family Committee.

After three years as the association's equality officer, Mary Carroll is adamant that the IFA must remain committed to encouraging more females to play an active role in the association.

"The IFA needs more women and needs them on all committees and at the higher levels of the association. It needs a balance of views. While I accept this might not be a bread and butter issue for farmers, it is essential for the future of the IFA,'' she said.

It's a view shared by many of the active females who, at a seminar about the future of the programme, suggested letter bombardment and mass emailing to IFA headquarters as well as pickets to get their message across.

Their message is aimed at IFA General Secretary Michael Berkery who last year pledged to 700 farmwomen that he would do his utmost to ensure that greater numbers of females were more involved across all levels of the association. With the equality programme now coming to an end, it's time to live up to that pledge, say those farmwomen.

Mary Carroll understands their frustration. "We've made progress, particularly in breaking the stereotyping of farmwomen, which implied that females were only interested in social issues and that the hard farm issues were better left to the men. Not so, and the active female members in IFA have proved this, but we need more of them and we need them to aim for higher office.''

The IFA equality programme started three years ago, and since then women in IFA have established a network that links all women who hold an elective office in the association. However, now that the programme is coming to an end, these women are demanding that the network be resourced from IFA coffers.

"The future of the programme largely depends on the women's network, with an active steering committee acting as a lynchpin to keep the issue to the forefront of the IFA. In reality, this network is now the equality programme. And their work needs to be supported. Unless the momentum is maintained, the association will never harvest the potential of these women,'' says Mary Carroll.

Farmwomen make their point

Denise O'Sullivan: initiative long overdue

Denise O'Sullivan Breen is Chairperson of the Mournabbey branch of the IFA. She and her husband, Michael, farm at Dromahane near Mallow, where they keep pedigree Aberdeen Angus and commercial sucklers and finish cattle to beef. She is also busy with her 13-month son, Oisin.

If that wasn't enough, she has just completed a masters degree in Women's Studies at UCC. Interestingly, the title of her final year thesis was Women in Irish Agriculture: Why their participation rate is so low in IFA. So, the issue of women and their lack of involvement in IFA is close to her heart.

"I got involved in the equality programme right from the beginning, as I felt the initiative was long overdue. Overall, I feel the programme has done huge work in giving women the confidence to get more involved in the IFA. But that work isn't finished,'' she explained.

Denise also thinks the equality programme - and now the women's network - has shown women that there is more scope to their involvement with the IFA than the Farm Family committee. "While it's a fine committee, I think too often women are pointed in its direction and nowhere else. The network has opened up other opportunities for women in IFA; it has allowed them to aim higher,'' she said.

Denise believes that much of the framework to make the network a success is now in place. "We have the voluntary people and they have a common cause. However, it would be an absolute crime if the network were left unsupported at this stage. Within 12 months, we would be back to square one. It is vital that this initiative continues,'' said Denise.

She believes it's essential that the women's network is correctly managed but that won't happen of it's own accord. "It takes plenty of work to make something successful, and if the network is to succeed it will need work and resources and the second part of that equation is outside our control.''

Nora Duffy: wants to drum up interest in IFA

Nora Duffy is a sheep farmer and chairperson of The Rosses branch of the IFA in Donegal. It's her second year in the job. She wants to drum up interest in the IFA and get more members to attend meetings.

She found the equality programme training sessions more than helpful. "They boosted my confidence, and now I'm better able to manage meetings and get my point across,'' she said.

She was delighted to meet women who were also branch chairpeople. "We had a lot in common. In many cases, there might only be one other women at meetings, and no matter what anyone says, that's hard to cope with,'' said Nora.

She thinks it would be a real pity if the network didn't get off the ground because the professional backup that's needed wasn't available.

"I think that each of the 700 women who attended the Croke Park conference last year should write to the IFA General Secretary, Michael Berkery and demand that this programme continue and be properly resourced.''

Mary Flynn: positive about equality programme and women's network

Mary Flynn is the County Secretary of Waterford IFA and also Chair of the County Farm Family Committee. She works with her husband on the family dairy and tillage farm at Rathgormack and also as a milk recorder. She has four daughters, aged from 25 down to 16.

Mary is positive about the equality programme and the initiative to establish a women's network. "The IFA needs women for the future, and if some of the men at the top don't realise that, they should think again. I know that the women already involved have to stand on their own feet but to do this we need executive and secretarial support. This support should not be in the gift of anyone. We shouldn't have to be pleading for it; it should be automatic, to ensure the long-term future of the IFA.''

Mary's first involvement in the IFA was as a member of the Farm Family committee. "I remember when I first started going to county executive meetings, some man said it was nice to see the ladies attend, as they added a bit of colour to the proceedings. Those were the early days, and thank God it's not like that anymore. We have good women involved who can make their point and are respected for it,'' said Mary.

She believes the equality programme has been enormously helpful to women. "I'm one who wasn't very vocal, and I found the training courses really helpful. Before I wouldn't have dreamt of doing a radio interview, and if someone had said to me 'You are on with Billy McCarthy in the morning' I'd have had nightmares. But that's all changed.''

She believes the newly-established women's network needs to continue. "It has helped give women a voice, a voice they are not afraid to use. Those at the top in the IFA must listen to what we are saying on this issue,'' she said.

Elizabeth Tilsen: women play huge role

Elizabeth Tilsen is Chairperson of the IFA Animal Health Committee in Cavan and represents the county at national level. She is also one of the 30-strong delegation of Irish farmwomen who will travel to meet their counterparts in Australia next month. She and her husband are dairy and suckler farmers and they have a 16 year-old son.

She also found the equality programme useful and is worried about what will happen when it ends in December. "The concept should not be abandoned in the IFA. In fact, the Association couldn't exist without them.

"I'd like to know how many men could partake in the IFA at national committee level if their wives or partners were not prepared to fill in for them at home.

"In many cases, the men are away all day and the women have to get through two sets of milking and all the other work - not to mention care for children and possibly older relatives,'' she said.

She believes a properly resourced network isn't too much to ask for. "For women in the IFA, this is an issue of right, and in the long run it will be very good for the association and help to keep membership in place.

"I've never faced any discrimination in the IFA, but I'd love to see more women take an interest. That will only happen if we have a strong network that's made up of women involved in all strands of the association who can support each other.''

Mary Toomey Casey: fantastic

Mary Toomey Casey is a dairy farmer from Glanworth in Cork. She is mother of four-year-old Carmel and is also chairperson of the North Cork IFA Farm Family Committee. She is another fan of the equality programme. "It's been fantastic to talk with other women who are involved in the different committees and who are active at branch level. The programme allowed women come together and share their experience of the IFA with each other,'' she explained.

Despite the programme, she believes that many of the men at the top of IFA still need to be converted to the idea of women having an active role in the association. "Our equality officer, Mary Carroll, opened doors for us, but with her imminent departure there is still so much to do.

"Unless we have someone working full time to make this happen, the initiative will lose momentum and our work will have been wasted. A voluntary committee is not enough; to succeed it needs to be properly resourced and funded.''

Mary maintains the responsibility for that rests with the top level of the IFA. "We will soon know if the commitment to having more women involved was real or if it was just lip service. Either way, women can't afford to hang around waiting for an answer; we need to know what's happening now.''

[ Feature ] [ Career Profiles ] [ Junior ] [ Motoring ]