Non Serviam

Today’s public service news program Godmorgon Världen, reports on affirmative action to introduce more balance in gender representation on company boards. Norway has from the turn of the year introduced affirmative action into law, requiring companies to, within two years, show a representation of at least 40% women of the board members.

Similar measures are debated in Sweden, of course, and the jurist and university professor Catarina af Sandeberg, who has been assigned to draft a law to enforce changes to gender representation, is interviewed. Partly also a personal portrait - approving in style.

Now come the contrast! Ebba Lindsö, the former CEO of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) is interviewed on her differing position, over the phone.

Where the interview with the pro-affirmative-action-as-law jurist is kind and personal, the interview with the con-affirmative-action-as-law is illustrated by firm bangs, sounding like a board-room, or a court room club. Here’s my translation of the two occasions where Ebba Lindsö’s speech is interrupted by the sound effects:

… the risk by introducing quotas is that we create an A team and a B team on the boards BANG! and that is definitely nothing that is good for the women. …

… it should be that the owner has a right to appoint the board which is going to control the company BANG! and where the lawmaker should not interfere …

The entire report is provided via the link above to Godmorgon Världen, and can be found between 30′35′’ and 37′07′’ into the clip of the second hour.

There is hardly any doubt what we poor listeners are told to sympathize with!

I am myself negative to introducing quotas by law, but would welcome an honest debate on if there is a problem, what the problem is, and pros and cons of different measures. However, the media bias just makes serious debate impossible!