On 13 October, Prof. Maggie O’Carroll, Executive Director of Enterprise Evolution, delivered the Annual 2026 Mary McAleese Diversity Lecture at Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast.

“Local is not the same as inclusive. Visibility is not the same as power.”

Her lecture, “Devolution: A Dividend for Women or a New Geography of Inequality?”, asked a timely question. When devolution is presented as a new dawn for communities, are women sharing equally in its promise?

Maggie argued that moving power closer to communities doesn’t automatically move it closer to women. Women are still underrepresented in decision-making and under-invested in, and gender is rarely a policy priority. All of this challenges the promise of devolution. Whether the issue is women’s health, economic opportunity or political leadership, progress has to be measured by meaningful change in women’s lives.

From left: Dr Portia Ellis-Woods, Dr Janine Swail, Professor Maggie O’Carroll, Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly, and Dr Grace Carson at the 2026 Mary McAleese Diversity Lecture.

Key points from the lecture

• Who sets the agenda matters. Who sets the agenda in meetings, and who decides whose knowledge counts.
• Funding isn’t the same as fairness. “Money arriving in a region is not proof that women within it have or will benefit.”
• Consultation has to mean something. The test of consultation is whether participation could change anything.
• Design for inclusion from the start. “We should not create new institutions and ask women to overcome the same old exclusions. We should design them differently.”

Democracy faces growing challenges, so it matters enormously whose voices are heard, whose needs shape priorities, and who holds power. Women’s equal participation must be central to how devolution is designed, delivered and held accountable.

Watch the full 2026 Mary McAleese Diversity Lecture below.