While there may be times to give advantage to some group for one reason or
another due to past discriminations or other unfair advantages I've always
thought that putting favor in situations like this was wrong. Put forth the
woman who have a chance of winning. Don't do it because of the sex though.
That's degrading to those woman who really are deserving of the award.
There are probably very few woman deserving of this award having said that.
This says nothing about woman though. It's a matter of statistics and the
percentages. Even if woman made up 50% that doesn't mean that half the
winners should be woman. There are certain advantages woman have in certain
areas and certain advantages men have in certain areas. Favoring woman over
men is no more right than favoring men over woman in any area.
We probably should encourage and welcome minorities socially. Nobody should
feel left out. However giving one group an advantage over another is not
doing anyone a service. It says woman aren't or can't be as successful in a
particular area. That is probably never the case. It's just fewer are
able/interested/etc in this area. The problem with participation is not here
anyway. It's elsewhere.
I probably shouldn't have responded to this. It is probably going to get us
off topic. Sorry.
