In 2005, Norway was the first country to introduce gender quotas for boards of directors. For this reason, many women and men are vehemently opposed to the implementation of quotas. It’s also often raised that women who are appointed to roles in organizations where quotas are in place may have cause to wonder whether they were appointed based on ability, or merely to meet a diversity key performance indicator. It also relies on extreme confidence that unbiased recruitment and selection processes are in place. ![]() The assumption of merit based appointment is contrary to the research that has repeatedly disproven it. It also assumes a robust, well defined and collectively understood definition of what constitutes ‘merit’. This argument that quotas will lead to not having the best person appointed for the job, presupposes that there is a supply deficit of qualified and experienced women. The strongest resistance brought to bear against quotas is via the merit argument. Mentioning quotas immediately evokes the specter of merit based appointments. In their recent quarterly gender diversity progress report, the AICD revealed that the possibility of achieving their target of 30% female directors on ASX200 boards by 2018 is slipping out of reach. This is starkly obvious in the slowing rate of female directors’ appointments to ASX200 Boards during 2017. “Targets with teeth” is how Carol Schwartz referred to quotas in a recent podcast on the topic by The Policy Shop. It’s an acknowledgement that voluntary efforts, including companies setting gender diversity targets are not moving the dial fast enough. Prominent Australian business leaders and politicians including RBA Non-Executive Director Carol Schwartz, AICD Chairman Elizabeth Proust and Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen have all recently spoken out supporting quotas to advance gender equality. The case for quotas has been recently given another airing. ![]() According to the World Economic Forum’s global index we won’t see gender equality achieved until 2186. ![]() At the current rate of progress, I will not see gender equality achieved in my lifetime.
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