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When all finish first everyone finishes last

By Louis O'Neill - posted Wednesday, 14 December 2016


Equality means to ensure everyone begins from the same starting point, while equity strives to ensure that everyone finishes at the same time. In the case of Trudeau and BHP, their desire is to intervene with the race in order to ensure they achieve their desired outcome: the outcome of equal gender representation in positions of power.

Now on the surface, this seems to be a well intended proposition. If women are indeed discriminated against, why shouldn't they get a fair chance? Isn't that what equality is?

Well, yes and no. If there is indeed prejudicial discrimination occurring against someone within the workplace, of course it should be eradicated.

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However in this case, no prejudice been found.

What has instead been found, is merely a different amount of men and women in the field - an inequity of gender. Though this need not be the result of sexism.

Take nursing for example, a field notoriously dominated by females, with a well known disparity between the amount of male and female nurses.

Now imagine if an agreement for gender parity was signed in that field, where employers may find themselves forced to pick from a smaller pool of potentially less skilled male nurses, purely on the basis of their gender.

This is the dictionary definition of sexist behaviour.

And yet in the name of "inclusion", these propositions for gender equity in the workplace would see that employers devalue the one factor that is truly indiscriminate: merit.

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No longer would employers choose their most experienced and most viable candidate, but rather they would be forced to choose their employee on the basis of their gender, or their skin colour, depending on what the perceived notion of equality is popular at the time. This in effect removes the incentives for whoever isn't within the designated minority group of the month, as their efforts will only be undermined by their skin colour or gender. All ironically in the name of squashing prejudice.

And if inequity of gender truly does highlight discrimination in all industries that are male dominated, shouldn't Trudeau and Mackenzie also be urging for more female truck drivers? Or more female trash collectors?

To no surprise, both Trudeau and Mackenzie remain silent on that one.

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About the Author

Louis O'Neill is a writer from Sydney having graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Writing focusing on issues of philosophy, morality, religion and social commentary.

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