Discrimination talk turns to gender imbalance in union [IrishTimes]
- Published: 08 April 2010
EQUALITY: A LIVELY discussion about gender discrimination branched into a wider debate about gender imbalance in the ASTI itself, at the union’s convention in Galway.
Leading on from a discussion about the lack of female head teachers in the country – just 20 per cent of co-educational schools have a female principal – attention quickly turned to the union. Deirdre Healy, a Dublin delegate, said: “There must be obstacles blocking women from operating in our union at a senior level,” citing the fact that out of 18 standing committee regions, just seven are represented by women.
Galway delegate Maura Greaney pointed to the male dominance at the conference top table. Sixty-eight per cent of ASTI membership was female, she said, “but for the last three years the candidates for the ASTI presidency have been all male . . . It is vitally important that women pursue key decision-making positions.”
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
