Misguided European Law #43,672

Norway had a problem: while studies had shown that women make good directors, less than seven percent of Norwegian board seats were filled by women. So what did they do? In 2002, they made a law that required publicly traded and state-owned companies to fill at least forty percent of their boards with women by 2008. Today, women make up about forty-four percent of Norway's boards. Now, Spain and the Netherlands have passed similar laws, and France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, and Sweden are thinking about it.

What this means is that instead of earning a place in the top echelon, women will be there for the simple fact that they were born with two X chromosomes. A man in the company will be able to legitimately say, "She got promoted just because she's a woman." Quotas move people into jobs they are not capable of while passing up workers who are. In this way, quotas hurt the entire company's productivity. As the New York Times reports about Norway's businesses after this law came into effect, "In fact, early evidence from a little-noticed study by the University of Michigan suggests that the immediate effect has been negative."

Quotas also create mistrust and resentment. Why should a man work hard in Norway, when he knows a woman will probably be promoted before him anyway by virtue of her breasts? Why should a woman work hard in Norway, when she knows she'll be promoted no matter what?

Don't get me wrong—I have no problem with female directors and CEOs. I only want female directors and CEOs to be the best people for the job, not just the best women for the job.