In the media, meritocracy governs.  Men can be a woman’s chief of staff.  Usually it is in the interest of an employer to hire the best person.  But this does not seem to govern the world of business.

In Australia 17.6 percent of non-executive directors in top 200 companies are women.  But 62 of these companies have no women at all.

The reality is that many men, and some institutionalised corporate women, have a bias against women.   Quotas may be necessary to enforce a behaviour change. It isn’t possible to change attitudes as easily but it’s the outcome that matters in the short term.  What would Silicon Valley make of quotas?