Posted on 01/15/2006 11:48:14 AM PST by chemical_boy
OSLO, Jan. 8 - On the first day of this year - and in the teeth of strenuous opposition from many Norwegian businessmen - Norway's leftist government put into effect one of the more radical attempts to achieve sexual equality: requiring that in the next two years 40 percent of the board members of the nation's large, publicly traded private companies be women. "The government's decision is to see to it that women will have a place where the power is, where leadership takes place in this society," Karita Bekkemellem, Norway's minister of children and equality, said in an interview here. "This is very forceful affirmative action, but it will set an example for other centers of society," she said. Ms. Bekkemellem, and other supporters of the law are pleased with some of the early results. Already in Norway, for example, databases have emerged where thousands of women looking for board positions have listed their names and qualifications, and any of the 519 private corporations affected can search for prospective board members.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Why not just close the business out of protest? Why should the government be able to say who should be on the board of a private organization?
Being in the same place where some guy is pinching a loaf isn't all that much of a "power" thing.
Easier to move headquarters to a po box in the maldives or something.
On the first day of this year - and in the teeth of strenuous opposition from many Norwegian businessmen - Norway's leftist government put into effect one of the more radical attempts to achieve sexual equality: requiring that in the next two years 40 percent of the board members of the nation's large, publicly traded private companies be women. "
What? The worlds most perfect Country? The UN poster child for socialist utopia is a patriarchy? Boy that ought to know the old UN rating down a bit.
Oh Boardroom, not bathroom!
What BS. Barbara Streisand.
Doesn't bother me. I won't be buying shares of any Norwegian companies. (Nor, in a few years, will anyone else.)
Wait a minute here! What do they look like? ( LOL)
In the near future Norwegian men will simply be castrated at birth.
Minister of CHILDREN AND EQUALITY. My God. If there was ever a leftist red flag, this position would be it. What next, a Minister of Feeling your Pain and Diversity?
I think that they'll dissolve their legal presence in Norway and go elsewhere rather than put up with this level of nonsense. The only companies that won't do this are the ones that already happen to meet the new requirements, either by their own internal "diversity" policies or by a bunch of highly-qualified women just happening to be there already.
Social engineering, European style!
and Atlas PUKED!!!
What next, a Minister of Feeling your Pain and Diversity?tooo funny... ther job would be to spread pain evenly is that it???
"Hey Roddy, shtal offen un tefenten panis!"
I am currently reading Thomas Sowell's excellent book, Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One , and this is an excellent example of what he would call "stage one thinking." Sure, female representation on Norwegian boards will probably go up when the law goes into effect. But if the pre-coerced level of 8% female representation is forced up to 40%, I foresee a number of potential negative consequences. We'll either see:
a. More qualified male board members replaced with much less qualified female members, meaning economic losses for the company, or
b. New but essentially powerless "joke" positions being made for women to comply with the law- and being filled by "eye-candy".
Over time, this will simply lead to women being seen as inconsequential, or even detrimental, to business. These new attitudes will only reinforce any existing sexism in Norway. This will especially hurt highly-driven, highly-talented women who would have risen to the top without the law, but now will have to face new or enhanced biases from her associates who have had to deal with an influx of sub-par, affirmative action hires.
A much simpler solution would simply be to reduce regulatory burdens on Norwegian industry, so that the demand for labor will increase and industries will have no choice but to hire the most qualified applicant, without regard to gender. Of course, politically speaking, this is the least likely to happen...
Pimp Daddy never had it so good!
That usually involves going broke, watching your family go hungry etc. Simply too high of a price to pay to make a political point.
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