Madam, - Most women find gender quotas insulting, patronising, undemocratic and irrelevant. After all, who wants a job just to fulfil someone else's gender statistics?
Imbalances are usually due to choice. Teaching, for example, attracts women, and political representation appeals more to the male. So what? It might be interesting to know if Niamh Bhreathnach (August 31st) and other critics of Ronnie O'Toole's article of August 26th would consider the Irish presidency a fair target for quotas? - Yours, etc.,
SUSAN PHILIPS, Ballinacoola, Co Wicklow.