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IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
with the aim to change the Academys regulations, or stay indifferent with
regard to the guestion of gender and science. We can distinguish between those
(1) not in favour of positive discrimination and (2) those standing expressis
verbis beside the woman quota.
(1) Not in favour of positive discrimination (contra woman quota): The
starting point for the female scholars was the importance of establishing equal
conditions, but the majority can picture this with measures that do not include
positive discrimination (woman quota), this even being something to which
they explicitly objected.
Only because... Jam a woman? [...] I would rather not [...] the weaker are in need of
help, and women are no weaker in science. I don’t want any positive discrimination!
(Subject no. 22, natural sciences)
I would honestly not want to enter due to the woman quota. I have written lots
of books and other work, which I think can be compared with other academics in
terms of quantity, in order for me not to require a woman quota. (Subject no. 25,
natural sciences)
I don’t want somebody to be appointed due to such a contingency, their performance
also has to be checked, if it is okay, it is okay, if it isn’t, it isn’t. But I should not simply
be appointed to a position because I am a woman. Nobody needs that. This makes
us even more haughty. The quota is nonsense. (Subject no. 21, natural sciences)
(2) Pro woman quota: There were only a select few considering merit as well
as recognising the disadvantageous position of women, which they had mainly
experienced in their professional life (see also the different perceptions of
equality), who would therefore accept positive discrimination as a tool to
reach equality.
Quotas serve to remind us that there are women in the world as well, with some
among them who might be qualified for this position, meaning that they remind male
society — who are in a vast majority in these situations — to at least look around.
True, quotas hold the danger of becoming counterselective on occasion. But I think
the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. (Subject no. 1, social sciences)
It doesn’t matter what we call it, but I find it is clear that a woman has more dif¬
ficulties reaching a certain point right from the start than a man. This needs to be
23 There are two distinct approaches to equality, the liberal and the radical perception. The key
difference between the two is that the latter also supports positive discrimination in creation
of an equal field (alongside honest measures) (see also Nagy: Nék a vezetésben, 52).
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