Women supported in board vote

 TALLINN - All six Estonian European Parliament members voted on Nov. 20 for there being at least 40 percent representation of women on councils of stock exchange-listed companies by 2020, reports Aripaev Online.
Ivari Padar (Social Democratic Party) told Aripaev that organizations focused on men only are ineffective and don’t work.
Padar may have a point, as the male sex has been at the center of countless corporate bankruptcies and inefficient and wasteful company operations throughout history. Maybe it’s time for women to take over. Though the question is: should the state make this decision, or should it be by the free hand of the private sector?

Siiri Oviir (Center Party) said that the bill supports men too, since it puts pressure to add either men or women depending on which gender is under-represented.
Vilja Savisaar-Toomast (Reform Party) told national television ETV evening news that it has always been her principle not to support quota.

“But all means of influencing or recommending proposals haven’t borne fruit,” she explained her change of position.
Public Broadcasting adds that the voting results of the Estonian European Parliament members don’t coincide with the position of the Estonian government, which has said that Estonia supports the aim of guaranteeing more balanced representation of men and women in company councils, but has been clearly opposed to an obligatory quota, preferring alternative measures that violate the freedom of entrepreneurship less.