You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. ‘We should introduce laws to make businesses and state services employ equal numbers of male and female workers in every department or area of the company.’ How far do you support this idea? Give reasons for your answer, and support your essay with ideas and examples from your own experience. You should write at least 250 words.

The issue of equality for men and women at work is still widely debated, despite the extensive legislation that now exists in many countries. Personally, I do not feel that imposing a numerical target for gender is a sensible idea, and I will explain why. Firstly, we have to consider whether equal numbers of men and women really wish to do every job which is available. For example, few women wish to be airline pilots, and only a minority of school teachers are male. If we impose a law on airlines or schools, where will they find the people to fill these posts willingly? Furthermore, there is the huge issue of the existing workforce. Would it be right to dismiss a worker because he or she is of a certain gender, in order to create a statistically perfect balance? The effects would be disastrous for many hard-working people. Finally, I believe we should find ways to encourage equality of opportunity through support and guidance, rather than top-down legislation. For instance, improved child care facilities and subsidies would probably encourage more women into parts of the workforce which may currently be difficult to enter. I do understand the opposing view, which is that legislation is the quickest and most effective way to achieve gender equality. Nevertheless, I feel that the disruptive effects of ‘overnight’ legislation would destabilise society and hinder many people’s prospects. Overall, I believe that equality is an excellent goal for society to strive for. Above all, though, I think that this needs to be a gradual process, based on careful support rather than sudden legislation.