REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT NETWORK IRELAND’S LUNCH TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT NETWORK IRELAND’S LUNCH TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ROYAL HOSPITAL KILMAINHAM
I am delighted to have this opportunity to join you on this special occasion for women, both on this island and internationally. I would like to thank the, President of Network Ireland, Elizabeth O’Mahony, and the President of the Dublin Branch, Phil Killeen, for their very warm welcome.
Events like this give us the opportunity and space to examine important issues for women – issues that many of you have discussed in the growing number of Network Ireland branches across the country. It would be almost an insult to say that you lead busy lives – more likely they are frenetic, juggling business, entrepreneurial and personal aspects. As a result, it is important to set aside a little time to come together and place individual problems and possibilities in a broader context and to avail of the common experiences of other Network members.
The ethos and vision of Network Ireland are particularly impressive. In a globalising society, we should never underestimate the increasing importance of establishing bonds and connections outside our normal routine. Network Ireland members form a web of Irish entrepreneurs now connected to a world wide women’s network of 200,000 members scattered across 80 countries. I know from my own professional experience that having the opportunity to tap into the experience and knowledge of a large group of people facing the same challenges, provides tremendous strength of purpose and an opportunity to learn from the problems, experiences and discoveries of others.
The benefits of being part of a networking organisation struck a particular chord with me when I learned that the Northern Branch of Network came into being as a result of contacts made by Network Ireland members with colleagues from the North on a Boston College Programme. Over the coming years, I hope that your programme of activities will lead to the development of even greater links between women in business in Ireland, North and South, and indeed further afield.
It is an exciting time for women to be in business. Across the developed world, women entrepreneurs are a social and economic phenomenon of our time. There are a number of important trends behind this development, not least the fact that SME’s have become the engine of growth internationally and SME’s owned by women are one of the world’s fasted growing business segments. In the United States, for example, the number of firms created and managed by women is growing twice as fast as those set up and managed by men. Ireland is no exception – it is estimated that 25% of existing businesses are owned and managed by women and this proportion looks set to rise significantly in the future, with women setting up an estimated 40% of new businesses.
This is a welcome but under-reported and, without doubt, under-researched phenomenon. It would be beneficial to the economies of the developed world to delve further into the causes and implications of this development. At present, we can only speculate on the reasons - perhaps the infamous “glass-ceiling” problem is being overcome by women building their own ceilings!
What is certain is that these statistics mark a real - and I believe irreversible - trend in women’s participation in the business sector and, more importantly, as leaders within that sector. For far too long, business, especially at the decision-making level, was
predominantly a male preserve. The growing reality of women as business leader challenges traditional perceptions and attitudes within the banking and other business support systems. But we need considerable more research in order to understand the full extent and implications of this change – and the new needs and opportunities it generates.
Clearly, some within the banking world are starting to recognise and respond to this trend. Bank of Ireland in particular are to be congratulated on becoming a sponsor of Network Ireland and undertaking joint research with IBM and Network into practical issues of concern to women in business. The results of this research will come as no surprise to many of you. An obvious finding – but perhaps for some outside Network it is less obvious – is that women have similar financial and business needs to their male counterparts. They do not want special treatment – they simply want to be taken seriously as business people.
Generations of skewed, twisted and unhealthy thinking and teaching about the role of women in society has left an obstacle course of subtle and not-so-subtle impediments in the way of the full and equal treatment of women. In this century, much has been done to dismantle the legal, social and attitudinal straitjackets which constricted the genius of women to a narrow, confined space.
But this does not mean, however, that the need for organisations such as Network Ireland is diminishing in any way. Indeed, quite the reverse is true. Women are still a minority at the highest echelons of the business world and the culture within which you operate remains one which has been created by and for men. Sometimes women feel they have to adapt too much, sacrifice too much, to that business culture in order to be treated as equals. I see an important role for Network Ireland in redressing this imbalance through the imaginative use of your members’ strengths. Drawing on the energy and success of your members enables you to encourage important changes in attitudes. The profiling of successful Irish role models in the national press and magazines is just one example of how this can be achieved.
Your witness to what women can accomplish when their talents and gifts are allowed to go where they will, is a hugely important part of the process of radical change which will, we hope, see the 21st century as the time when women truly came into their own, flooding the world with their God given talents. For too many centuries we have looked gift horses in the mouth. We have wasted the talents of women and frustrated them. Network Ireland is an essential element in our steady evolution towards a world in which respect for women is rooted in the lived experience of women and not just in hope.
There is such tremendous energy among Irish women, particularly young women, at present that gives me such pride and optimism for the future. We must, as a society, tap into this energy and use it to the full. It is worth noting that between 1991 and 1997, there was an increase of 38% in the numbers of women joining the paid workforce. The contribution of women to our economic wellbeing is important not simply because of their growing numbers, but also because of the different value systems and ways of organising work that we can bring to the world of business.
There is always some debate as to whether such value systems are inherent or will disappear as women become assimilated into the workforce and business world. I believe it would be a pity if this were to happen. Business as a whole can benefit from this diversity, from the different experiences and priorities that women can bring to the system. It is not a plea for special treatment, but rather an acknowledgement that the system as we know it is far from perfect; it is a system that requires a shakeup every now and then in order to remain relevant to the changing world and the changing needs around us.
It is no accident that today’s economic success story comes at a time when the gifts of women are at last running through every area of business and industrial endeavours. The fresh new synergies are an essential part of the creative dynamic at the heart of Ireland’s economic and cultural confidence.
Looking back over the range of activities which your branches have been involved in, I was struck by how closely they mirror the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation on how to energise self-employment and entrepreneurship among women. These stressed that successful self employment in small business hinged on a number of coherently linked components such as training, business planning, finance, management, marketing and network information. These are the very supports that your members benefit from through the activities and promotions undertaken by Network branches. They have borne fruit in the past and I have no doubt they will be equally successful in the future. If we have a economic success story - and we do - then your organisation is entitled to take rightful pride in the role it has played and is playing in today’s Ireland – an Ireland moving closer daily to that world where all talents are harnessed and focused on bringing peace and prosperity to all our people.
May I take this opportunity to congratulate all of you on your achievements to date and to
wish you well in your future work.