The Iowa Senate approved a bill that eliminates gender quota requirements for appointed bodies established in Iowa code. Republican State Sen. Jason Schultz, who managed the bill, said the bill will allow the most qualified applicants to be considered for appointment regardless of their gender.
Senate File 2096 passed 32-15. Democrat State Sen. Herman Quirmbach joined Republicans in support of the legislation.
“If ever there was a time that this was a good idea, it is no longer now,” Schultz said. “The world has changed and it is time that men and women are selected on their qualifications and nothing else.”
Democrat State Sen. Claire Celsi said the gender quota requirement played a big role in her life and she likely would not be where she is without the requirement.
“I’m advocating for us to keep it,” she said. “It’s really not necessary to repeal the gender quota balance. I do think it’s still necessary to have a gender balance law in place.”
Democrat State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott said that while the world has changed, it still “isn’t fair.” Trone Garriott said the Iowa Senate is not representative of the people of Iowa in terms of gender, race, profession or economic situation.
“Sometimes more qualified women don’t get leadership opportunities until that less-qualified man is taken out of the equation,” she said. “The world is not fair. Bias persists against women. Women experience that right now. Women experience that all of the time.”
Democrat State Sen. Janet Petersen said she’s proud Iowa was the first state in the country to require gender balance on its boards and commissions.
“We need to be intentional to be inclusive,” Petersen said.
Republican State Sen. Annette Sweeney spoke in favor of the bill. Sweeney said while all women have stories about being looked down upon, she believes it is important the best person is selected for positions on boards and commissions.
“I want to be there because I earned it,” Sweeney said. “This is one of the best, happiest votes that I’m going to take.”
Sweeney discussed serving in the House when the quota came up in 2009 or 2010. She said the bill “spit on us.”
“It’ll be the most fun yay vote I’ve taken in a long time,” she closed.
Democrat State Sen. Nate Boulton said that while a court ruling by an Obama-appointed judge declared Iowa’s gender quota balance unconstitutional, he said the reality is prior to Iowa’s gender quota requirement, not a single woman had been selected to be an elected commissioner for the judicial nominating commission.
“So when we talk about the best person for the job regardless of gender, it’s really strange to look back to the moment before this was enacted, the best person for the job had never been a woman,” Boulton said.
Republican State Sen. Chris Cournoyer said she knows women who have been invited to serve on boards strictly because the board needed a woman.
“How insulting is it to be a woman or a man and be asked to serve on a board solely based on your gender over someone who is qualified, motivated and able to serve,” Cournoyer said. “Iowans deserve to have those who serve on boards and commissions to be the most qualified people based on merit, qualifications, willingness and availability to serve. And when Iowans apply, they deserve to be selected based on their qualifications, not denied based on their gender.”
Democrat State Sen. Herman Quirmbach spoke in support of the bill. He said the gender quota requirement makes the characteristic of gender more important than qualifications. Quirmbach said the policy doesn’t end sex discrimination, it institutionalizes and perpetuates it.
“What would happen if we were to end this policy,” he asked. “Well, one thing that is interesting to look at is the educational attainment of the rising generation.”
Quirmbach said according to the best available national data, 88 percent of girls graduate high school on time, but just 82 percent of boys do. Women are also earning the majority of bachelor’s degrees, and the gap is growing, he added.
“The conclusion is pretty clear. The rising generation of women are better educated and better prepared for public service as a group than are their male cohorts as a group,” Quirmbach said. “It seems pretty clear that the rising generation of women if allowed to compete on the basis of their merit, will succeed. And succeed in greater numbers. I believe that they should be allowed to compete on that merit.”
Quirmbach agreed the world isn’t fair, but he said the legislature’s job is to try to make it a little more fair every day.
“We’re told that there is still sex discrimination in private decision-making, and certainly that is also true,” he said. “But the reply to that is pretty simple – two wrongs don’t make a right. Private decisions that are sexually discriminatory in nature are bad enough. Legally mandated discrimination, I believe, is worse.”
He also highlighted the fact the Democrat caucus in the Senate includes eight men and eight women.
“Those who look backward view the quota policy as a floor for women’s participation,” he said. “But those of us who look forward I think are more likely to see it as a ceiling. I think we should do away with that ceiling. I think we should let both men and women compete on the basis of their qualifications and their achievements and their willingness to work hard. I have no doubt that if we move in that direction, if we let women move forward as far as their talents and energy will take them, that 50 percent is going to be far exceeded in the not too distant future.”
Democrat State Sen. Pam Jochum spoke against the bill, claiming that denying any man or woman the chance to serve on a board or commission is denying equality.
“Making progress is not equality,” Jochum said.
Jochum said she recalls when women were primarily doing jobs like being secretaries, nurses or teachers. But laws opened doors to women, minorities and people with disabilities.
Democrat State Sen. Bill Dotzler called the idea that skills and talent guarantee someone will get invited to the table “hogwash.”
“Take a look at what women earn compared to men,” Dotzler said. “It’s pretty simple.”
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