Will the quotas exist to force companies to promote more women or to force more women to work the ridiculous hours that executives work? Perhaps the legislation that we need would ban companies from expecting any employee to work more than 60 hours per week.

*It failed to recommend mandatory quotas for women on boards*

I should frigging hope so, for anything else would be sexism!

We have some great female CEOs and female board members, but
merit matters, not genitalia.

Anyone can start a business, join the corporate world and
do what they like, providing they have the motivation and
some aptitude. But its hard work and needs determination
and skill.

If a South African bank teller can become the CEO of our
biggest bank, then those Australian women who keep whinging,
perhaps simply don't have what it takes and rather then blaming
themselves, conveniently blame the system.

Oh hell, another one.

It only takes a quick look at our public services, state & commonwealth to see what a bl@@dy mess you get with any sort of affirmative action.

The continuing deterioration of our health, & education systems are directly proportional to the feminisation of their management.

We should be taking more advantage of our ladies true abilities. Bare foot, & pregnant was always a good idea. I can't see anything has changed.

Why are not there quotas ensuring that there is an equal number of each 'gender' working as primary school teachers?

Exactly Dougthebear.
We do need more male teachers at all schools. They often relate to both boys and girls much better than some of their female counterparts.
However, there are always good and bad teachers of both sexes, as I am sure we can all attest to!

My daughter's school has about half and half male and female teachers, and the headmaster is a male. She loved some of the male teachers and detested some of the others, just the same as for the female teachers.

Let's have effective teachers at our schools, no matter what the gender.
Education is not an area we can afford to have ineffective teachers just because some groups in society lobby for 50/50 gender balance in teacher numbers.
It should be on merit alone.

suzeonline, "It should be on merit alone."

Did you say that with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek? As most would be aware, merit isn't the problem, the massaged job specification and selection criteria are the tools already in use to achieve affirmative action.

In Victoria 'merit' will be achieved through positive discrimination against 'white men'. Easy to do with fudged job descriptions and selection criteria, especially where bad law encourages prejudice.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24771759-2862,00.html