Harman: I'll make firms put more women on their boards

**frostyboy** · 20th-October-2009

From This is London:

Harman: I'll make firms put more women on their boards

City firms risk losing lucrative government contracts if they fail to
appoint more women, Harriet Harman warned today.

The equalities minister vowed to end the "nightmare" of men-only
boards and left open the prospect of laws to force companies to
promote more women.

Giving evidence to the Treasury select committee, she rejected
claims by a high-flying female financier that women were
damaging their careers by taking long maternity leave.

The MPs were also told that ministers are discussing a pledge with the CBI on preventing sex discrimination. One effect of having more women on boards was said to be more men turn up for meetings.

Ms Harman spoke of the impact the flagship Equality Bill, which is intended to tackle discrimination against women and ethnic minorities, could have on the financial sector.

The Government and town halls will be able to favour firms with a more diverse workforce when granting public procurement contracts. Ms Harman made clear that male-dominated firms faced missing out on work. "Procurement is a major lever," she said.

She called for more flexible working and cultural changes in the City, saying: "If you want to make sure that you don't have the nightmare of men-only boards, you have got to change the terms on which men and women participate."

Ms Harman stopped short of backing a 40 per cent quota for women or men on boards as adopted by Norway. She believes greater transparency, encouraging firms to take action and pay audits for companies of at least 250 employees are needed.

She rejected arguments made by mother-of-three Nichola Pease, deputy chairman of JO Hambro Capital Management, who claimed women's career prospects were undermined by measures aimed at protecting them in their jobs. Ms Pease told the committee last week: "I think we have got too long maternity leave. A year is too long and sex discrimination cases that run into tens of millions are ridiculous."

But Ms Harman argued there were wider benefits of 12-month maternity leave to the family and the economy.

**Percy** · 20th-October-2009

What is needed in Board members is:

a) a thorough understanding of the business of the business
b) high skill and competence in at least two functional areas of the business
c) experience in related industries in the up or down-chain
d) significant managerial experience

Businesses do poorly when any particular Director is lacking in these. Executive Directors are usually the most involved and competent. Non-Executive Directors can provide an 'external' view but have to have all four too.

I have been a Director on four Boards (two as Exec and two as Non-exec). Having a penis did not add or detract.

Obliging Boads to have a genital qualification is ludicrous. Most western countries have suffered from non-performing non-execs as it is. If a woman has an executive role in the company and has studied to be a Director ( I made all my Board members get a Board qualification through the Institute of Directors) all well and good but if not she is likely to be as incompetent in a 'job for the girls' as many men are in 'jobs for the boys'.

Using Government contracts to blackmail a company is corruption.

**outdoors** · 20th-October-2009

Harmmen is a f'n idiot

**frostyboy** · 20th-October-2009

Giving evidence to the Treasury select committee, she rejected claims by a high-flying female financier that women were damaging their careers by taking long maternity leave.

More proof that Harman is detached from reality.

Ms Harman stopped short of backing a 40 per cent quota for women or men on boards as adopted by Norway.

It's only a matter of time before such a quota becomes a reality in Britain - especially now that The Conservative Party (who will soon be in government) are embracing women-only electoral shortlists for the first time.

**coffeecup248** · 20th-October-2009

The only board I'd like to see a woman on is one of those that spin around that magicians throw knives at ..I was joking, I was joking.

**RebelliousVanilla** · 20th-October-2009

Quote from Percy

Using Government contracts to blackmail a company is corruption.

Tell that to the EU. Or the US lately. It is fascism, actually. Private property being public used.

**byslexic_danana** · 20th-October-2009

SOMEBODY gag this creature, PLEASE!

**shaazam** · 20th-October-2009

""The equalities minister vowed to end the "nightmare" of men-only boards and left open the prospect of laws to force companies to promote more women. "

reads better and truthfully aka

The coercion minister vowed to end the " objective reality" of men-only
boards and left open the spectre of regulations to intimidate companies to shoehorn mostly wimyn. ( to boards)

this is actually a plan redolent of the Fascists not much different in the Nazi
Final Solution

but what amazes me is the nation of domesticated and brainwashed men looking on sipping their beers and talking about the football scores and ultimately voting for Labour

**Celtic Druid** · 21st-October-2009

She called for more flexible working and cultural changes in the City, saying: "If you want to make sure that you don't have the nightmare of men-only boards, you have got to change the terms on which men and women participate."

Different terms on which men and women participate? Discrimination in other words.

It's bad enough with the recession, but Harman would further undermine the effectiveness of the City by introducing flexible working, where mothers would turn up late and leave early because of schooling and family duties. Any questioning of this setup would entail litigation of course.

The "nightmare" for any board would be for incompetents to be introduced solely to fill quotas. Has she gone mad, but aren't these PRIVATE businesses. Furthermore, they don't need to be blackmailed with talk about favouring firms with a more diverse workforce.

**haahoo** · 21st-October-2009

Quote from coffeecup248

The only board I'd like to see a woman on is one of those that spin around that magicians throw knives at ..I was joking, I was joking.

I usually use the kitchen table for "board meetings"..

There is nothing like "table ending" the good lady..

If they want more ladies in the board room, the directors would probably agree to that idea as long as the ladies where true "professionals"

and squatted under the table offerring "relief", or just wheeled the tea trolley in..

Its all a joke. This Cuntry is going to the dogs..

**nivek** · 21st-October-2009

can we all club together and buy an island somewhere .... and just get the f**k out of this SHIT HOLE !!

**coffeecup248** · 21st-October-2009

Quote from haahoo

I usually use the kitchen table for "board meetings"..

There is nothing like "table ending" the good lady..

If they want more ladies in the board room, the directors would probably agree to that idea as long as the ladies where true "professionals"

and squatted under the table offerring "relief", or just wheeled the tea trolley in..

well theyre always going on about how they can multi-task so I cant see pouring the tea and giving a BJ at the same time would be much of a challenge for the modern super-woman. perhaps because women are such great multi-taskers we should be giving them even more menial tasks to do. I've always thought that the africans got it right, they send their women out 20 miles to fetch a pot of water on their heads everday, turns out they had running water installed years ago but never told the women

perhaps thats something we should be adding to the list of daily chores for our women.

Quote from nivek

can we all club together and buy an island somewhere .... and just get the f**k out of this SHIT HOLE !!

I think about a million people have the same idea every year. what they havent thought about is why the UK is becoming such a bad place to live, womens rights, obviously. so alot make the mistake of going to places like australia.

**Marx** · 21st-October-2009

Isn't this just plain ol' fashioned blackmail?

**Percy** · 22nd-October-2009

Quote from Marx

Isn't this just plain ol' fashioned blackmail?

An un-named source close to the Bank Of British West Hartlepools claims that Ms Harman said, "They will appoint women to their Boards or we will send the girls around to break their Top floor windows; then smash their Boardroom tables; then chop some fingers off; then their penises. Come to think of it, we might just go straight for the penises".

**haahoo** · 22nd-October-2009

Quote from Marx

Isn't this just plain ol' fashioned blackmail?

Its just good old fashioned statism..

You can do anything much in this Cuntry anymore without the approval of Big Nanny..

Smoke, employ staff, have sex..

They will be making it illegal to piss standing up next...