Government promoting sexism

Zebra3

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1215/gender.html

This is shameful.

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

Are they going to have quotas imposed on them to give men a fair chance? :rolleyes:

starbelgrade

Zebra3 wrote: »

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

To make up a 30% quota of males to take up employment in female dominated jobs such as hairdressing, trolly dollys etc., we'd need to import a lot more gays into the country.

Duggy747

I don't give a flying fùck about a politican's sex, I just want someone who isn't a slimy, lying bastard and will actually set out to do what they initially promised.

"Roscommon A&E stays open if you put me in!"

Yaaaaay!

*few months later*

"I lied!" :pac:

Booooo!

AnonoBoy

Zebra3 wrote: »

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

Like sexy nurses, sexy gardai and sexy secretaries?

MagicMarker

This country is a fúcking joke.

SEPT 23 1989

Its great that the government has time to waste their energy on rubbish like this while the country goes over a cliff

seamus

I'm actually less torn over that.

The quota is in relation to party candidates, not elected representatives. This means that the electorate are still free to choose the best candidates, regardless of gender.

There is an obvious argument that in one party, 80% of the best candidates may be male, but instead they'll have to field and extra 10% of sub-standard candidates.

However, the process of nomination of candidates isn't a meritocratic in the big political parties. At the moment it's oligarchic (candidates are nominated based on who they are and who they know rather than whether they're any good). This causes women to lose out because invariably the vast majority of people at the top of the parties are male, and nominate males as candidates.

So there's no risk that we're damaging the quality of candidates, because we don't get the best candidates as it is. Instead we get the third son of some failed and corrupted scumbag who governed 30 years ago.

Doc Ruby

Thats only candidates mind you nothing to say they will be elected. Still I agree it should go by merit not by whats between your legs.

Funkfield

What about all the independent TDs?

Will all the males have to "feminise" themselves by 30% also?

And vice versa?

My name is URL

This is all kinds of stupid. Parties should be allowed to freely select their candidates without any interference from the state. Is this quota thing even legal?

edit-

Good piece about this by Michael McDowell from a few weeks ago - http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/michael-mcdowell-dail-gender-law-unconstitutional-2940071.html

Zebra3

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Like sexy nurses, sexy gardai and sexy secretaries?

Good one. :pac:

Yakult

best for the job regardless of a sack or a slit.

28064212

seamus wrote: »

However, the process of nomination of candidates isn't a meritocratic in the big political parties. At the moment it's oligarchic (candidates are nominated based on who they are and who they know rather than whether they're any good). This causes women to lose out because invariably the vast majority of people at the top of the parties are male, and nominate males as candidates.

So instead of Pee Flynn, a generation later we get Beverley Cooper-Flynn. Good, that's the oligarchy sorted out then

Gender quotas do nothing to sort out that problem

seamus

28064212 wrote: »

So instead of Pee Flynn, a generation later we get Beverley Cooper-Flynn. Good, that's the oligarchy sorted out then

Gender quotas do nothing to sort out that problem

You're right, it doesn't prevent that kind of nomination.

However it does change the dynamic of nomination so that most parties will have to put forward candidates who aren't someone's son or business partner or fifth cousin twice removed.

In the long run, obviously it might adjust itself so that it's just the daughters and sons who are being nominated, but I would hope that this is the start of a number of small electoral reforms to make the overall process more representative and less cronyist.

gaffer91

Well I'm SURE the government will also make an effort to combat the female over-representation in universities relative to males :rolleyes: ...Oh wait there's no such thing as sexism if its against males!

stupidusername

I think we need a poll. I can't see how anybody could think this is a good idea.

gaffer91

stupidusername wrote: »

I think we need a poll. I can't see how anybody could think this is a good idea.

Feminists will most likely think it is needed to combat "institutionalised" sexism. I, and most other people on this thread it seems, disagree that such sexism actually exists in this instance.

(Also, kind of off-topic but I wonder would any feminist ever agree that instances of institutionalised sexism against males exist?)

smash

Zebra3 wrote: »

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

Exactly.... I want to be a bikini waxer. I'm sure the good clients outweigh the bad!

28064212

seamus wrote: »

You're right, it doesn't prevent that kind of nomination.

However it does change the dynamic of nomination so that most parties will have to put forward candidates who aren't someone's son or business partner or fifth cousin twice removed.

In the long run, obviously it might adjust itself so that it's just the daughters and sons who are being nominated, but I would hope that this is the start of a number of small electoral reforms to make the overall process more representative and less cronyist.

What happens in the short run? Are parties suddenly going to sit up and say "oh crap, we need more women, better look outside our established structures and appeal to the groups we've been ignoring all these years"? Or are they going to say "oh crap, we need more women, get me Cecilia Ahern on the phone"?

Wolf Club

I don't see any harm in this. If anything, by introducing a few new faces (female or otherwise) I think it might help in weeding out some of the dinosaurs who have been contributing little to their party and are completely out of touch with Irish society.

Manach

So perishes the Republic, where the government enforces its view on which candidate is suitable for election.

The J Stands for Jay

smash wrote: »

Zebra3 wrote: »

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

Exactly.... I want to be a bikini waxer. I'm sure the good clients outweigh the bad!

Think you're wrong there. I'd expect the bad clients to be a lot heavier

Mr Benevolent

If we have equal numbers of women in the Dail there's a higher chance of thermonuclear war around the same time every month.

stupidusername

Well then those people dont understand what sexism really is.

If women were not given a fair chance to enter politics then some measures should be taken to combat that but afaik this is just about encouraging more women into it.

Duggy747

Isn't this something that should be insulting to feminists?

That instead of a woman climbing up the ladder by her own merits and experience she instead gets a foot in the door because gender quotas must be met?

slimpickens

I always vote for male candidates.

One good reason

Life expectancy of Male in Ireland 77.96 years
Life expectancy of Female in Ireland 82.55 years

Lower pension costs for them.


By the way do those life expectancy statistics indicate shocking inequality in our society?

Unavailable for Comment

According to the World Economic Forum, Ireland has consistently improved on its gender gap and is now placed fifth. That's an increase of one place on 2010.

According to the UN's human development report (which measures gender equality amongst other concerns) we are ranked at seventh place.

All of this progress was facilitated through legislation enacted in a parliament made up of overwhelming numbers of men.

Why then are gender quotas to be imposed when by all accounts the system works perfectly well already in forwarding gender equality?

Pupito

Zebra3 wrote: »

What about all the jobs in the country that are female dominated?

It's high time XY-chromosomes were allowed dish the hottest goss on Xposé once more. Glass ceiling, it is.

Potential-Monke

Well i think this new legislation helps me answer the other thread about the Titanic.