Ireland is still living with the downstream consequences of what happens when you are given a bird with two wings and you insist on flying with one, President Mary McAleese has said.
Speaking at a symposium on Women in Philanthropy in Dublin this morning, Mrs McAleese said the current economic situation was “pretty much testosterone driven”.
A “toxic amalgam of cultural norms, stereotypes, laws and attitudes” had excluded women from many spheres over generations and “pulling it apart is still a major work in progress”.
“We are only at the beginning,” she said.
The symposium, Realising the power and potential of women in philanthropy, was hosted by The Community Foundation for Ireland (CFI) and Philanthropy Ireland.
A new philanthropic Women’s Fund for Ireland was also launched at the event. Some €100,000 was pledged by CFI to begin the fund.
Mrs McAleese said fostering a climate of greater and more structured giving in these uncertain times required a lot of courage.
“Inevitably the world of corporate donations has been hit by financial constraints just as individuals are hurting in their pockets too,” she told the delegates.
“But what is interesting and reassuring is the extent to which the culture of giving has shown a resilience and robustness that justifies doing what you are doing laying careful foundations now so that a dynamic culture of philanthropy becomes enmeshed in the fabric of tomorrow’s Ireland”.
She said she was heartened to learn of the establishment of the fund and believed women would play an increasingly prominent role as philanthropic funders.
If the “special constituency of private philanthropy by women” flourishes, Ireland will flourish, she said.
“We are still living with the downstream consequences of what happens when you are given a bird with two wings and you insist on flying with one,” she said.
