Recently, the Australian Human Rights Commission came under scrutiny after it was reported that government contractors would to be required to reach a 40 per cent female workforce quota, with contractors possibly losing out on contracts if they didn't reach the 40/40/20 standard.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins sent out a statement clarifying the issue. The recommendation was a target, not a mandatory quota. Rather than disqualifying contractors, it 'recommended that the Commonwealth government should become a model industry in improving the participation of women in the workforce'.
While it seems this was mostly a misunderstanding, it's interesting how drastic a reaction the mere suggestion of a quota received. The Daily Telegraph called quotas 'draconian' and Tony Abbot said on 2GB they would be 'politically correct rubbish' and 'anti-men'.
Whether to have targets or quotas is a hard question to answer. Quotas, which are enforceable and mandatory, have been employed by several European countries to great effect. But in Australia companies are encouraged to set themselves targets, which are optional.
Businesses are moving towards targets at a glacial pace, with women in senior executive roles increasing by 2 per cent per annum since 2012. When fewer large companies are run by women than men named John, Peter and David, quotas need to be seriously considered.
Arguments against quotas seem to boil down to that they will cause worthy men to be passed over and create resentment against female workers who are only 'filling quotas'. So targets versus quotas aside, the root of this problem is that people still seem to culturally believe that setting these types of goals is somehow 'reverse sexism'.
On The Project, Steve Price repeated the same argument against gender quotas and targets we've all heard before: 'You've got to hire the best person for the job'. This is rooted in patriarchal thinking, as it accepts the status quo as normal rather than acknowledging that in job hiring, meritocracy doesn't always apply. Subconscious bias plays a role in whether a candidate is hired or not.
In a study conducted by Corinne Moss-Racusin in 2012, almost identical resumes for a role of a lab technician were sent out to scientists to assess. The only difference? One had John at the top and the other had Jennifer. Despite having the exact same qualifications, Jennifer was viewed as less competent.
"It's not enough to pay lip service to diversity. Reflecting the values of diversity is just as important