Skirts Required in Boardroom

(Oslo, Norway) The "some people are more equal" crowd will be invigorated by the latest mandates from the Norwegian government requiring all boardrooms be 40 percent female. Minister Karita Bekkemellem made the announcement amid protests by investors. "Now there's no way back," she said. "This is all about sharing power and influence and it is intervention in private ownership, but it was overdue."

From Aftenposten.no:

Female directors must make up at least 40 percent of all new shareholder-owned companies' boards of directors from January 1. Existing stock companies will have two years to conform to the new quotas.

And, if a business is found in noncompliance:

Violation of the new rules for board composition will be penalized with forced dissolution of the company.

Whoa! Momma! The feminists in Norway now have the nuclear option at their disposal. It's kind of scary. The punishment just doesn't seem to fit the infraction.

At first glance, this latest set of regulations doesn't sound like such a good idea. Besides the fact that boardrooms will not necessarily seek the best candidates, the women selected will know, as will everyone else, that they are "quota queens." And, you can be sure that attitudes, responsibilities, and authority will all be tainted therefrom.

There is also the likelihood that other groups of citizens will seek a piece of the "more equal" Norwegian pie. It's not unreasonable to assume that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered types will loudly lobby for "quota queen" status since the precedent has been set. We also need to remember the Muslims, especially since they make up a good chunk of the overall population.

I believe these new regulations show that the government of Norway is way too intrusive in private sector business decision-making. And, I can't think of any instance where more government involvement made a business or an industry more competitive.