Robyn Urback: Memo to The Agenda — No woman wants to be part of a quota

...I’d hate to be a guest on The Agenda the day after its host tweeted a “desperate” plea for female participants. It would be impossible not to wonder whether I was invited on for my mind or my skirt. Was I the best authority on the topic at hand? Or the best female authority?

Those who loudly tout the importance of quotas usually ignore the demeaning overtones. While women in Canada have made huge strides both academically and professionally over the last several decades, a lingering emphasis on “priority hiring” of women, for example, reinforces the myth that women need extra help to break through. But women already outnumber men at Canadian universities, particularly in professional schools such as law and medicine. And while boardrooms are still overwhelmingly dominated by men, many studies suggest that is likely due to personal choice, rather than structural barriers. Ironically, all that quotas really seem to do is undermine the achievements of women who have risen to success by their own merits, not by their gender....