Word: quotas
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...change at one of the country's biggest companies, Deutsche Telekom, which has just unveiled a radical new plan to fast-track more women into management roles. By 2015, the company has mandated that 30% of its middle and upper management positions be filled by women - the first gender quota to be implemented at one of Germany's top 30 DAX-listed companies. Anne Wenders, a Deutsche Telekom spokesperson, says this is not a "tokenistic gesture aimed at political correctness," but a new way of thinking that could become a model for other German companies. "This is a revolution...
...Whatever the company's motivations, the quota is still an audacious move for Europe's biggest telecom group - part of recent efforts to shake off its old-fashioned image and revamp its operations for the 21st century. Women currently only occupy 12% of the management positions at Deutsche Telekom offices in Germany - and none of the positions on the eight-member executive committee. In order to recruit more women managers, the company says it plans to introduce more flexible working hours and part-time positions, as well as expand its parental leave schemes and child-care services. It has also...
Despite the possibility of external influence over the elected women’s votes, the quota bill still encourages a long-lasting culture of gender equality. The legislative effects of the quota bill will expire in 15 years, but in that time the bill will allow women’s decision-making power to be present in Indians’ everyday lives, thus helping entrench the concept of gender equality in Indian culture...
...despite these benefits, the bill presents a much deeper problem than that of the vote manipulation. Some fear that it might distort the fragile equilibrium concerning the parliamentary representation of the different religious and ethnic groups that constitute Indian society. Former Member of Parliament Syed Shahabuddin argues that the quota bill might cut Muslim representation in half; if that is the case, the legislation might, in the long run, undermine the ethnic and religious stability of the county. The Indian Parliament should therefore consider refining some aspects of the bill to prevent against discrimination...
India’s decision to bring a larger number of women into its legislature is commendable—it represents a move toward greater gender equality in India. However, any future reforms similar to the quota bill should aim to minimize the detrimental effect on the non-involved groups. If not, raising the condition of one minority could hurt another—an unintended and detrimental side effect that undermines the aim of otherwise positive legislation...