<p>California on Sunday became the first state to impose a &ldquo;gender quota&rdquo; on corporate boards.</p>
<p>Similar to the principle of affirmative action, Senate Bill 826 requires publicly held companies to hire corporate directors based on gender. Companies who refuse to do so will face a $100,000 for the first violation and $300,000 for the second. ;</p>
<p>The controversial bill, which applies to all companies headquartered in California &#8211; even if they are incorporated ;in another state &#8211; will likely be defeated in court before it ever takes effect. ;</p>
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When asked why he would sign such a bill, California Governor Jerry Brown pointed to &ldquo;recent events&rdquo; such as the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. &ldquo;Recent events in Washington, DC &#8211; and beyond &#8211; make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message.&#8221;</p>
<p>If implemented, Senate Bill 826 will require companies to have at least one female board member by the end of the year. By the end of 2021, five-member boards must have at least two women and larger boards must have at least three. Under the new law, men who &ldquo;identify&rdquo; as women will count towards the quota. ;</p>
<p>Supporters insist the bill is necessary to diversify corporate boards in California &#8211; where in major companies just 15.5% of board seats are held by women. Among companies listed in the Russell 3000 index, 25% have no female directors. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;With the governor&rsquo;s support of SB 826 today, yet another glass ceiling is shattered, and women will finally have a seat at the table in corporate board rooms,&rdquo; said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, the bill&rsquo;s sponsor.</p>
<p>But opponents insist that hiring women based on their gender is offensive and degrading, and that the bill accomplishes the opposite of what it is intended to achieve. ;</p>
<p>SB 826 is &#8220;unconstitutional because it favors one element of a diverse workforce over all others,&rdquo; ;argues California Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Chris Micheli. &ldquo;Gender is an important aspect of board diversity, but the state should not elevate this element over all aspects of diversity.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&#8217;s Note:</strong> ;</p>
<p>The women currently serving on corporate boards are there because they earned it. Think how they will feel meeting another female director &#8211; wondering if she is actually qualified or if she was just hired to fit a quota. The same thing goes for male coworkers, who will automatically look down on her. ;</p>
<p>The quota also threatens to tarnish the achievements of women who already hold respected positions in California corporations. ;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note:</strong> In the name of &#8220;equality,&#8221; California has just shown the soft bigotry of low expectations. ;</p>