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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 difficulties 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). « 84 ¢
