A survey of female city and county councillors has found that one third experienced sexual harassment or misconduct in their role.
The finding is contained in a report prepared on behalf of the National Women's Council in advance of International Women's Day tomorrow.
Speaking to RTÉ's This Week, Claire McGing of the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology said the 35% finding mirrored an Irish Examiner survey of national female representatives carried out last year.
"It's reflective of a wider global picture of women in politics reporting sexual harassment or sexual misconduct."
Ms McGing carried out the survey on the benefit of female political caucuses as a way to support women politicians.
"Some of the women told me that they felt the language used sometimes by male councillors or local authority officials was misogynistic and outdated.
"But what really came across more strongly is that they are experiencing a lot of online abuse on Twitter, on Instagram and on Facebook through the comments sections. This is becoming a real concern I would worry about."
Elisa O'Donovan is the latest female public representative to speak out against online abuse related to her role as an independent councillor for Limerick West. Cllr O'Donovan said she received abusive messages after speaking about casual trading in Limerick on a recent RTÉ television news report.
"The individual in question contacted me on Facebook messenger. They said I was a fool and that I should get another job. I just blocked them," she said, adding that she subsequently received a stream of WhatsApp and text messages.
"My experience is that the more national attention you draw on yourself the more harassment and abuse you get particularly through social media," she told This Week.
Cllr O'Donovan said that because of Covid restrictions she uses social media to connect with constituents. This space, she said, needs to be free from abuse. As tomorrow is International Women's Day, she said she intends to use this year to tackle online abuse directed at her.
"That is my professional workplace. I've decided that this year I'm not accepting that sort of behaviour online. We should all expect a certain level of dignity and respect as we carry out our work. As a councillor I ask that people would treat us with the dignity and respect that they would want in their own workplace," she added.
She said female politicians were being told to ignore the abuse but this was not the way to eradicate it.
"When we ignore it, it's like we're accepting it. It is going to be the same for the next generation in 20 years time. It's absolutely up to us now to change this," she said.
Green Party Cllr Darcy Lonergan in Cabra-Glasnevin said she has developed a thick skin since entering politics at the age of 20.
"I experienced so much ageism and sexism, and lets just say it was hands on," she told This Week.
She recalls one incident in particular. "I was walking behind people and they were like 'who are you?’. I said, I'm Councillor Lonergan and they said 'walk in front of us, we prefer that view’.
"I do not see it as much now because I think it's a softer type of sexism. It's more a subtle one."
Cllr Lonergan welcomes the online interaction with constituents and the public that social media affords her and she strives to ignore online abuse or preempt it.
"Because I've in politics for so long I think I've learned to shut it down. It doesn't get to me as much. It definitely got to me when I was a councillor for the first time."
She refers to an article written after she became Ireland's youngest mayor. "I stupidly read the (public) comments. It just took an achievement that I was so proud of and just just diminished it. It made me feel for the first six months that I didn't deserve it," she said.
Longford councillor Uruemu Adejinmi (Fianna Fáil) said online abuse is part of the job.
She blocks or mutes negative commentary and said legislation is necessary to stamp this out.
"We need legislation to tackle the emergence of this anti-social behavior online. Until legislation is passed I choose not to engage," she said.
Just 25% of local councillors are female, a marginal increase over the pre-2019 numbers.
The next local elections are in 2024 but could harassment and online abuse become yet another obstacle to women entering or remaining public life?
"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence in the past year or so of women councillors stating that they won't run again or they have yet to make up their mind about running again," says Claire McGing.
But her research also found that long hours and low pay are really big issues for women councillors with many undertaking "the triple shift".
"They were undertaking their paid work, their unpaid work with their children and looking after parents, and they had their council work. Pay for councillors remains quite low and the workload remains quite high for what is considered to be a part-time job."
Cllr Darcy Lonergan believes women can overcome the many obstacles ."You can do it. It is possible," she told This Week. However, she and others are calling for more female-friendly hours for council meetings.
"It's not a part-time job where you can say 'Ok from 9am to 1pm I'll do my council work’. Meetings happen at 2pm or 6pm or sometimes at 10am."
She said trying to find another job which fits in with this is very difficult. Councillors' salaries, she says, are approximately €17,000 and the allowances for attending meetings. But this is too to get a mortgage or do many other things.
Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi took a pay cut when she left her Department of Health job to become a councillor.
"Because of my role in the Department of Health I had to give up that job to become a full-time councillor and that meant me taking a pay cut."
Cllr Adejinmi praised her fellow councillors in Longford for treating her as an equal and said she would encourage more minority women to get involved in politics.
"Minority groups need to be more aware of the political space and the contribution they can make," she said.
