So I was delighted when I came across this article – because it’s comprehensive, wide-ranging and not
especially preachy. It’s American, but does cover a variety of nation’s
quota schemes. Perhaps tellingly, Australia doesn’t even crack a
mention. You can read the article that features five different experts on the question of
quota, and then trawl through the 89 (!) comments to get a really solid
grounding on the issues in the debate, on both sides. Sure, there are some frustrating comments and a couple
downright ridiculous ones. But if does raise a host of related issues
that one stand alone article can’t cover: does a quota fix all gender
disparity issues in the workplace, will Germany improving maternity
leave solve some of the issues they face, how does sexual harassment
fears affect the mentoring of women in the United states, what impact
does training, experience play in the success of such a scheme, and
explores the ever present discussions around biological difference and
limitations, resentment/entitlement, attitudes vs processes. It’s a fascinating read, and well worth the 10 minutes (max)
it’ll take to take it in, and get a grip on this quota business.
Getting a handle on the quota debate: great new article
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The quota debate is a big one – and it’s intimidating to get
involved in. Opinions on whether or quotas are the best way forward to
executive gender diversity are often strongly held, and from experience I
know these arguments can get emotional very quickly. It can also be
challenging to argue about the issue from a broad point of view, when
most of us have personal experience of gender bias in action.
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