WOMEN/ Behind the question of quotas

On Thursday last week David Cameron discussed the idea of introducing quotas in order to insure that women are evenly represented on the boards of major companies. Speaking at the Nordic/Baltic Summit in Sweden, Cameron stated, “The evidence is that there is a positive link between women in leadership and business performance, so if we fail to unlock the potential of women in the labour market, we’re not only failing those individuals, we’re failing our whole economy.”  It is an admirable enough sentiment to want to advance women. Ending the male dominated business culture is something we should all be working towards as women still only represent 15% of FTSE 100 directors, although that figure is rising, up 2.5% since 2010.

Yet Mr Cameron is missing the point. Certainly there are numerous women in business with the qualifications and business acumen to warrant a position as director. But ask most women as to whether they would rather achieve a promotion on the basis of excellence or due to the need for a company to meet a government quota and I assure you that the vast majority will plump for the former. Women do not want special treatment, but to be recognised for merit and ability on an equal footing with their male counterparts. Women chosen to meet this quota will command little real respect from their employees due to the token nature of their appointment and many may find their opinions being dismissed as a result. Other female appointees will feel a knock on effect.

Do the unintended consequences of legislation outweigh the intended benefits? On balance it is hard to see why qualified men should be overlooked in order to ensure that government imposed quotas are met. There is no such thing as positive discrimination as someone else will always be discriminated against as a result, namely an equally competent male.

Equality should mean equality of opportunity, rather than proportional representation. In some measure the Prime Minister’s statement has succeeded in glossing over the fundamental issues that frequently prevent talented women from reaching the upper levels of management in the work place.