French plan to force gender equality on boardrooms

[ccharles000]

Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right party has put forward legislation that would see women make up half the figures in France's leading boardrooms by 2015, under a bold plan to impose gender equality on the male-dominated business world.

In a bill submitted to the French parliament this week, all companies listed on the Paris stock exchange would have to ensure female employees made up 50% of their board members by 2015. If passed, a gradual implementation of the law would see businesses obliged to have women in 20% of board seats within 18 months, and 40% within four years.

Jean-François Copé, president of the majority UMP party, said it could give a "much-needed electro-shock" to the French corporate world, long considered a bastion reserved for the male elite in which only 10.5% of board members in CAC 40 (French stock market index) companies are female.

Referring to France's move in 2000 to encourage gender equality in politics, he said: "We must do to companies what we did in the public domain a few years ago and impose parity."

The proposals, which would also apply to state-owned companies and non-listed firms with supervisory boards, will be debated next month and would need the approval of both houses of parliament to become law.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/02/french-government-gender-equality-plan

[Mind_your_head]

1. Smart, 'reasonably placed' french woman who have been "alone

for a long time" should be VERY WARY of new 'suiters/lovers' who just seem to "appear out of nowhere".

[Odin2005]

2. Doesn't seem very right-wing to me.

[Tim01]

3. I'm split on this one.

I'm a big fan of fairness. But giving women the jobs because they are women, as opposed to them being the best person, is not fairness.
On the other hand, without some outside force, men probably would not give women anything close to a fair shot.

Maybe the back and forth is the only path to the correct way. A bit too much to this side, then a bit too much to that side. Back and forth until things level out as they should be.
Must be a human thing.

[varelse]

4. This is considered "centre-right" in France?

heh

I want to know what would be thought of as "loony-far-left" there :P

[paulsby]

5. well, it's

sexism, enforced via the barrel of the gun...

many would argue that sounds like a rightwinger