List of female cabinet ministers of the Republic of Ireland

The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in the Republic of Ireland. Its ministers are collectively responsible for the Departments of State administered by the members of the Government.^[1]

As of 2021^[update], twenty-two women have served as cabinet ministers in governments of the Republic of Ireland and its predecessors the Irish Free State (1922–1937) and the Irish Republic (1919–1922).^[2] After a 58-year gap between the first and second women ministers,^[3] there has been at least one woman in all cabinets since December 1982. No woman has ever been Taoiseach (prime minister), but four women have served as Tánaiste (deputy prime minister).^[4]

Other women have served outside the cabinet as junior ministers, known until 1978 as Parliamentary Secretaries, and since then as Ministers of State.^[a] For example, five of the twenty Ministers of State appointed by the government of Micheál Martin in June 2020 were women, with two regularly attending cabinet.

The 32nd Government of Ireland was formed in June 2020 by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. As of 2022^[update] it includes four women as ministers in the cabinet: Norma Foley, Heather Humphreys, Catherine Martin and Helen McEntee.^[8] No more than four women have served in cabinet at any one time. Criticism of the imbalance is defended by pointing to male dominance of the Oireachtas (parliament) from which ministers are appointed.^[9]

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^ Cite error: The named reference i-indep-2017-12-03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ McNamara & Mooney 2000, p. 18.
^ Galligan & Buckley 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference Dtaoiseach-chief-whip was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference dail-2016-05-06-members-of-government was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference rte-2017-06-20-ministers-of-state was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference DTaoiseach-current-ministers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference i-indep=2017-06-17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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[FOOTNOTEMcNamaraMooney200018-3] McNamara & Mooney 2000, p. 18.

[FOOTNOTEGalliganBuckley2017-4] Galligan & Buckley 2017.

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