Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunk
That's fair, but when you have enough caucus strength (and it seems they do) that could easily be filled completely by men or completely by women and they'd be completely qualified, why not gender balance? Remember, cabinet ministers are generalists, not specialists - they needn't be selected on professional expertise, but largely competence and fulfilling certain goals like 'representation' of one kind or another. I agree it could have just been done without the proclamation beforehand, though. On the other hand, symbols also really do matter and serve a purpose.
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My point is not that they shouldn't try to create balance, it's that by making it a THING, it undercuts the validity of women who would be great candidates regardless. By stating beforehand that you're working on a quota, you inherently undermine the appointees by planting a seed of doubt about their merits.
By appointing half women, but without any public declaration beforehand, you achieve the same balanced result without the patronizing undertone. Symbolically, you make a statement that these were the best candidates for the job.