The National Women’s Council faces renewed calls to defund the organisation after the Liveline controversy – as some activists believe the group is failing to speak up for women.
Senator Sharon Keogan was amongst those who reiterated calls for the NWCI to be defunded, saying “defund this NGO. If they have the support of the women of Ireland and various associations then they should be self sustainable.”
#defund this #NGO If they have the support of the women of Ireland and various associations then they should be self sustainable. https://t.co/QJRYDaMnf2
— Senator Sharon Keogan (@SenatorKeogan) June 16, 2022
The NWCI is in receipt of almost a million euro in public funds annually, and has the ear of government and access to the corridors of power on many issues. Since the ongoing controversy around the proposed erasure of the word ‘woman’ from legislation, increasing numbers of women on social media have said they feel the organisation does not represent them.
Some of those voices have also called on large organisations representing women who are affiliated to the National Women’s Council to now reconsider their support for the body.
“Some of the organisations which are members of the NWCI need to take a long hard look at themselves. That includes the Teachers’ Unions, the Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association” said one woman.
Some of the organisations which are members of the NWCI need to take a long hard look at themselves.
That includes the Teachers' Unions, the Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Countrywomen's Association.
— Mary O’Brian (@mobfecit) June 16, 2022
Although the National Women’s Council describes itself as the “leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland”, much of its claim to representation is based on the membership of other groups affiliated to the organisation.
Groups like the Irish Countrywomen’s Association or the Irish Cancer Society, which do great work, were likely not consulted this week, for example, when the NWCI issued statements condemning the discussion on Liveline.
An analysis of the last five years of the accounts of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) shows that the organisation spent over €3.3 million on staff between 2016 and 2020, whilst only spending €502,000, nearly seven times less, on ‘programme activities’ over the same period
So while the NWCI were quick to jump on the latest outrage bandwaggon it hasn’t gone unobserved that their definition of a woman is now any person that ‘identifies as a woman’.
So why do they need funding at all?