On March 7, a day before International Women’s Day, German Parliament passed a legislation that requires the country’s biggest companies to give 30 per cent of seats on non executive boards to women. The quotas will come into force in 2016, affecting no less than 100 top German companies. The question is, will this work towards gender quality, specifically in the corporate world? Is it a step in the right direction, or will it make the meritorious women candidates look like they got a promotion not because they deserve it, but because there’s a law for it?

SHIKHA UBEROI // I think it is a fantastic initiative from Germany, which falls way behind countries such as Norway and Spain when it comes to better representation by women at the board level. Let me also add that the above-mentioned countries also have women quotas; so what Germany has done is not a novel concept. This is a step in the right direction when it comes to decreasing and, ultimately, ending inequality at workplace and create more symmetry among men and women workers at all levels.

We see women across the world climbing the corporate ladder, but we also see how they are overstepped and considered lesser. This 30 per cent quota will go a long way in addressing that issue. I also feel I’d rather err on the side of action when steps need to be taken than not doing anything at all.

Having said that, however, I also understand there will be cases when the system will be abused. However, I also believe in the goodness of people; I think that it will be the merit and credentials of women that will take them forward. I feel they can continue to climb the ladder with the support of this law that allows meritorious women to take up such posts.

And it’s all right if people point fingers at this and say that these women who are now appointed at the board-level positions got there because they had to be appointed.

I also agree how this will become a bone of contention when it comes to group dynamics at the workplace. People may question a woman’s appointment at such a position or a promotion to the board level. But like I said earlier, I’d rather err on the side of action. And women have to hear that anyway. People are anyway going to say women get promotions or better opportunities because they are a minority, are women, play tennis – anything. We women deal with this anyway.

Quota isn’t enough, however. Women have a busy life outside of office as well. There’s family, children and so much more to look forward to. So when you pass a wall like this, it is dangerous to not have a holistic vision. Any such move should be backed by supporting the holistic aspect of a woman’s life. The government and the corporate world should look at how to support women through day-care centres for their children, maternity leave and so on.

I also feel it is essential for men to be more understanding and standing up for more representation by women at workplace. I know it is a touchy issue, but more men talking in support of this is as important as women saying it. I also strongly support the idea of male to female mentorship. Again, I know it is tricky and can be viewed inappropriately. It’s important, nevertheless. That is because it will help the male mentor better understand the needs and expectations of women at his mentee’s level. The mentee is empowered in the sense that she gets a clearer idea of what her next step is and where she could be. These worlds should not be separated by glass walls, which should be shattered.

I support the move in the Indian context as well. Even if it is a 3 per cent quota, I’d say it is equal to 300 per cent here. We are so far behind! Yes, women need to be prepared for a backlash about this, but then ambitious women get talked about by both men and women as if they are doing something wrong. It will be great if women toughen up and don’t let it get into their skin. But yes, we are facing a problem if someone says this is charity.

MEERA KAUL // For years women have been battling the gender bias war. For years any sliver of hope that gender bias gets is applauded and received with ineffability. With the growing efficacy of social media forums, the news of one extra woman joining a board or a law being made to evolve parity; becomes a social phenomenon. The reaction makes me think that perhaps there still exists a doubt in minds of people that all people are created equal might be a myth after all. A growing need to be diverse and publish diversity reports is now becoming a fashion in corporate hiring policies. Diversity figures are published to ensure public relationship status. But are these numbers really a reflection of women participation or is the need to be diverse overclouding the need for quality?

When Satya Nadella said women should believe in good karma, he did mean well. Karma is a concept in Hinduism that pertains to a person’s work or deeds, their intent and in the concept of causality. Which, in essence, means we sow what we reap. If a woman at work is doing a good job, no company or system of human resources can keep her down or should keep her down. And it effectively applies to men as well as women. What is wrong with creating an appraisal system that works well for its employees irrespective of their gender?

For years, we have been battling to get women into the workplace and into competitive careers and vocations. We have built businesses around women empowerment, attended and cheered at conferences celebrating women, written books and created thesis. The only thing we have bothered about is the numbers. This is counterproductive. And dangerous. We can never win when we are only a statistic. Women need to compete on the basis of talent and competitiveness, rather than just statistics in the diversity chain.

The argument in favour of statistics is that a huge bias against women exists and this bias will make it impossible for women to compete in the same environment that works counterproductive to their interests. However, there are instances of women who have had stellar careers in the same environment successfully and still do. Is this not a testament of the fact that credible work will find its reward?

By becoming the first country to pass a law that requires companies to give 30 per cent of its supervisory seats to women, the German government is conformed to creating statistics. This is not the solution to gender parity. Parity needs to be credible and based on merit.

There is a huge need to create institutions that work on creating quality. There is a dire need to reform our educational system to one that incorporates more current skills based education. Our education system and skill institutions need to change the way we create educational programmes to include more skills based on employability in conjunction with the recruitment needs of companies in their ecosystem. The funnel needs to improve. Unless we create employable women, we will still be publishing statistics that make no impact on the lives of women and on the gender divide.