Q&A: On the Representation of Women in Governments
On the Representation of Women in Governments
Question
One of the main claims against this government, beyond the fact that it is religious, extortionate, and destructive, is that the representation of women in it is very small. The question is whether it is proper to push women forward by force in the name of equality, or whether it is preferable to appoint professional people, and therefore the government actually has a certain explanation for why there are not so many women.
Answer
It is definitely proper to promote women. They make up half the population, and it is unreasonable to think that a suitable woman cannot be found. Especially since no appointment—and certainly not in this government—is based on professional optimization.
Discussion on Answer
First, a note about the logic. The fact that it is proper to promote women does not necessarily mean affirmative action, although that too has a place in certain cases.
As I wrote, nowadays nobody chooses the person best suited for the job. That simply does not exist. They choose someone connected and familiar, who in the best case has reasonable qualifications, and in many cases not even that. They certainly do not choose the best person. In such a situation there is no problem preferring women. At the coarse level of suitability that is accepted today, you can almost always find suitable women.
Is the Rabbi arguing that promoting women is a value in itself? So that if there is a man who is slightly more suitable for the role, it could still be that one should take the woman anyway? If so, what is the idea behind that?