Female quotas lead to ‘token appointments’ says Truss

GENDER quotas are potentially dangerous because they make women look like token appointments rather than the best candidates for the job, Liz Truss has said.

The Minister for Women and Equalities said she wants to see more females in the Tory ranks but does not believe that quotas are the best way of going about it.

She said: “I want to see more women promoted in the Conservative Party and we need to keep women in politics.

“What I don’t believe in is quotas. I do believe we need to promote more women and remove barriers to women’s success.

“One of the barriers in politics recently has been the attacks on female MPS which are extremely worrying

‘Labour has had all-women shortlists since 1997 but a woman has never risen to the top of the party’

and we need to deal with. My view is, when you have quotas, when you say ‘we’re going to value you because you’re a woman rather than the innate talent and skills you bring’, it’s potentially dangerous because it implies you’re there as a token rather than a contributor.

“Labour is a good example. The Labour Party has had all-women shortlists since 1997 but a woman has never risen to the top of the party.”

Ms Truss was speaking at the Telegraph’s Women Mean Business live event in London, where she said that affordable childcare was one of the Government’s priorities.

She said the Government will look at an extension to school nursery provision. “We are looking at the overall issue of how to make childcare affordable for all families in Britain, because there is no doubt it is a major cost,” Ms Truss told the audience.

“Schools still operate on a 9am-3pm timetable which doesn’t fit many working lives and that is something we need to look at,” she added.

Ms Truss also rejected the idea that women fail to get ahead because they lack confidence, while men are better at putting themselves forward.

She said: “It’s not true. I’ve got two daughters aged 10 and 13 and, believe me, they’re just as bolshie as any boys could possibly be.”