Women won’t appreciate a BBC quota

Guests and viewers will lose out if the only reason female experts are asked to appear is their gender

The BBC has launched a “50:50 project” to get more women experts onto its news and current affairs programmes. As a woman who is regularly asked to appear on the Beeb, how could I possibly quibble with that? Well I can, because it’s a quota in all but name. And while the intention might be to empower women, the consequences won’t be so noble.

I’ve always been thrilled to be asked to go on TV or radio. A direct message on Twitter or a producer’s call from a withheld number would make me smile like a Cheshire cat. It’s an experience I can only compare to the butterflies-in-tummy effect of receiving a text from a new crush. Now it will be forever tainted. If I get another call from the BBC, the first thing that will spring to my mind is: “Am I receiving this so the guest booker can tick a box, or am I being called on for my knowledge and ability to present ideas?”

I’m relatively new to this, so any media appearance is already frankly terrifying. I’m worrying about remembering to breathe, to sit still, to not fiddle with my hair, and that’s all before I’ve even opened my mouth. It’s a gruelling experience: you need to make your points clearly, rationally and deal with curveball questions.

And, like many people in my position, I can feel like an impostor, that I’m not good enough to be there. In fact, women on average tend to experience feelings of inadequacy more than men with equal experience and expertise. The last thing we need is self-doubt around whether we’re there to make up the numbers, only asked to appear because of a patronising quota.

What will the listeners and viewers think? Many will assume that the women concerned have been invited on only because of their gender, even when they would often be more than qualified to speak on the subject if no quotas were in place. And will it improve the quality of the shows? I think most people would agree that we should strive for more diverse panels. Having a variety of voices makes a programme more interesting, but that doesn’t always equate to different genders. Differences in political outlook, work experience and culture can be just as important. It seems strange to define diversity so narrowly.

Outside the media, where gender quotas have been tried they have backfired. Norway introduced a 40 per cent quota for female directors in 2003. Later research found that the quota led to the employment of inexperienced women who ended up making bad decisions, leading to lower profitability at the companies themselves. Gender quotas risk pushing the wrong women forward at the wrong time.

The BBC has other ways of finding more women for its programmes. It could focus efforts on its Expert Women scheme, which has so far given media training to 100 candidates. The BBC has excellent female talent, such as Laura Kuenssberg. Kuenssberg, or perhaps female presenters with a bit more time on their hands, could hold mentoring sessions for experts who are qualified and keen to go on the media. They could be open to men, too. After all, it’s not just women who can lack the confidence to air their views on television. I’ve met many amazing male entrepreneurs in my role who have a lot to say but shy away from media opportunities.

There is also a deeper problem that is outside the power of the BBC to solve. There happen to be fewer female experts in some fields. This might be a broader question for government to address, particularly through the education system, but we should once again be careful about unintended consequences. At some point, we might all have to accept that, on average, in some areas, men and women have different preferences about the jobs they want to do.

One thing is certain: while you might be about to see more women on the BBC, women like me won’t feel more empowered as a consequence. If I bump into Lord Hall, head of the BBC, in the coming weeks, I know what I’ll say: “I appreciate you’re trying to help, but this isn’t the right approach. I’m not a victim, I’m an ambitious woman. Please treat me like one. This lady’s not for quotas.”